Blood Wedding
by HeyAssButtImBatman
Summary: Gabriel's been rescued from the clutches of a grieving, anger-filled Alpha, but he's still not safe. Not only is his own biology turning against him, but some of Michael's packmates aren't too happy about the death of their Alpha, and a hospitalized mixed breed is too tantalizing a target to pass up. Sequel to Bad Moon Rising.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not dead! Sorry for the hiatus (though it wasn't that long, I don't think? Does three months count as a hiatus?). Alright, motherfuckers, here it is: the sequel. I usually don't post chapters unless I have the entire story done, but it's been so long since I posted anything that I decided to just go ahead. Updates will be slower than normal since I'm still writing, just letting you know right now. Also, I haven't learned anything about hospitals in the past three months, so let's just pretend that this is how hospitals actually work.**

* * *

The ride to the hospital is tense and silent. Sam sits perfectly still in the passenger seat, his glowing green eyes the only indication that his wolf is howling and raging and itching to kill, maim, hunt; anything to get their mate back. Sam doesn't know how to tell it that the enemy isn't something they can fight.

Dean and John came into his room shortly after he woke up. They explained that it was only a few hours after the fight with Michael's pack, and that Gabriel is in the hospital. Sam regrets it now, but after hearing that he snapped and accused Dean of not protecting his mate, spouting some truly hurtful things that left even John speechless. He knows now that Gabriel's not injured from the fight, and though Dean waved off his apology flippantly, Sam can't help the guilt he feels when Dean locks eyes with him only to quickly look away.

They arrive at the hospital and pile out of the car, striding quickly towards the stairs. None of them have the patience for elevators right now, and thanks to their natural speed they reach the ICU faster than the elevator would have. Raphael is waiting for them outside the doors, responding in clipped, monosyllabic words to whatever the nurses at the desk are saying. He straightens when he sees John, Dean, and Sam coming towards him.

Sam was prepared for this, was told that Raphael was compelled by Michael to go through with the plan even though he fought against it, but he still growls when he sees the doctor. John elbows him in the side and Sam obediently quiets, but he doesn't stop glaring.

Gabriel's room is at the far end of the wing to give him privacy. Chuck, Castiel, and Mary are already there, and they all stand when the other Greys enter. Sam's eyes immediately zero in on his mate, lying, once again, in a hospital bed. But whereas the first time Sam saw him like this Gabriel was sitting up and still as loud and lively as ever, now he's still. Quiet.

His skin is a bit paler than normal and he looks way too small with wires poking out of his arms and connecting him to heart monitors and IVs and God knows what else. Sam darts over to the bed as soon as he steps foot into the room, sinking onto his knees on the floor.

"Oh, Gabriel," he says softly, his eyes wide and horrified as they run over his mate's face. He looks peaceful, at least, and Sam thanks every god he can think of that morphine works on Greys. Carefully, as if Gabriel will break under the slightest pressure, Sam brushes a stray lock of hair from his face. "What's wrong with him?" he asks the room in general.

Raphael answers, his tone brisk and detached, professional, even as his eyes tell a different story. "The human blood from the transfusion given to him at the other hospital is attacking his cells," he says. "The foreign cells view the Grey cells as a virus and are destroying them, which is killing him."

Sam sucks in a sharp breath and his hands clench into fists.

"I suspect that the phase he underwent in Michael's basement may have accelerated the process and awoken dormant Grey cells that are now being targeted," Raphael continues.

"How can we help him?" Mary asks. She sidles forward and nonchalantly places a hand on Sam's shoulder, but her fingers squeeze with surprising and reassuring strength. Sam leans into the touch gratefully, and her green eyes briefly flash a smile at him before returning to Raphael.

"I'm not sure," he says, his eyes off to the side of Mary's out of respect for her. "I know there is a cure, though. When I first started working here years ago, a Grey in exactly the same condition was brought into the hospital. She was cured and there should be records somewhere in the archives. It'll just be a matter of finding them."

"Get on that," John orders, and Raphael nods and tilts his head a bit before stopping himself, almost involuntarily. Sam's wolf perks up a bit at that, curious, but just as quickly sinks back into angry and crushing despair.

 _It'll be fine,_ he tells himself. He's a bit disappointed when there's no answer, but he doesn't know what else he was expecting. He can feel Gabriel's presence in his mind when he's asleep, but unconsciousness is an entirely different thing.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Dean asks in an unusually quiet voice. Castiel shoots him a sharp look, filled with surprise and… concern? Sam ignores this. His brother's strange relationship with their friend is not a priority right now.

"I can probably reserve you a waiting room since you probably won't want to leave the hospital much while he's here," Raphael says. "And I'll look for the cure, but until I find it…." He shrugs.

"How do we know that you will find it, or that you'll even want to?" Sam snaps, turning and standing in one swift move. "It's your pack's fault that he's like this in the first place!"

Raphael's eyes begin to glow amber and he bares his teeth, but his voice is the same calm tone from before as he answers.

"I am part of no pack," he says, tilting his head up with something akin to pride. "Lucifer may have been my Beta but Michael was never my Alpha. Yes, it was me who brought your mate to Michael, but it was against my will, and now I'm trying to fix the damage I did. If you can't trust Raphael who was Michael's third and then Beta, at least trust Raphael the lone wolf who just wants to atone for his mistakes."

He blinks and his eyes return to normal, and before Sam even has a chance to register the impeccable control the doctor has over his wolf, he's out the door, which closes with a resounding slam behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, what did Raphael mean back there?" Castiel asks later, after they all gather in the private waiting room that Raphael had secured for them. He and Chuck are practically inhaling shitty coffee from the cafeteria, but Sam's pretty sure that they're only drinking it for the caffeine, not the taste.

"You mean when he announced that he was a lone wolf?" Dean asks, not looking up from where he's watching his fingers tap against his thigh. Castiel makes a noise of confirmation, and Dean says, "It's a big deal for wolves to leave their packs willingly. A very big deal. It's the most severe form of self punishment a wolf can inflict upon him- or herself."

"Not punishment in this case," Sam says. "He left because he doesn't want to be a part of the pack anymore, which is a huge insult to them."

"Wolves are pack creatures," Dean says, finally looking up and locking eyes with Castiel. "They thrive only when surrounded by family. Raphael's wolf isn't going to be very happy about suddenly finding itself all alone, but if Raphael left, then it's because he thinks it's better to be alone, which goes against his very nature, than to remain in the pack."

"Oh," Castiel says quietly, leaning back against the chair he's sitting in. He looks exhausted. Sam had noticed it before—noticed, but barely registered it—but it's more obvious now that he doesn't have is mate in the room to distract him. Castiel's movements are slow and his eyes are slightly glazed, and there is a weariness in his voice when he talks that Sam had never heard before now. Chuck, too, is much the same, though he seems even more distraught than Castiel.

Sam is suddenly reminded that Gabriel isn't just his mate; Chuck's son and Castiel's best friend are also lying unconscious in a hospital bed. His wolf growls, upset that members of his pack are being left to grieve alone. It urges Sam to go to them, so he does, not that surprised to find out that his wolf already views Chuck and Castiel as pack.

Sam sits next to Castiel, close enough that their shoulders are touching but not as close as Sam would have sat next to another Grey; he doesn't want to freak Cas out with his species' tactile mannerisms.

"How are you guys holding up?" he asks, eyes flicking from Castiel to Chuck and back again.

"About as well as can be expected," Castiel replies, Chuck's lips thinning in agreement. Sam nods in understanding.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't protect him," he says sincerely.

"None of this was your fault," Chuck says, rather fiercely given how upset he so clearly is. "None of us could have stopped the blood transfusion because none of us knew what would happen to him, and it certainly wasn't your fault that he was taken by that crazy Alpha. If anything, that was my fault for killing his brother."

"You didn't know the difference between Greys and Hokkaido back then," Dean says, offended on Chuck's behalf.

"And yet the fact remains that all of this happened because of what I did," Chuck says.

"But there was nothing you could do," Sam says.

"Exactly. There was nothing any of us could do, so don't blame yourself."

John and Mary nod sagely at him, agreeing with Castiel's words, and Sam gives a small, grateful smile to Chuck.

"So now what?" Dean asks. Everyone looks to John, who shrugs.

"There's not really anything we can do," he says. "Right now, the most we could do-"

He breaks off when Castiel's phone starts ringing, raising an eyebrow at the latter.

"Sorry," Castiel says, pulling his phone out and checking who it is. He grimaces at whoever it is, but still answers. "Hi, Mom. I know, I'm sorry. Something important came up, and I just… Actually, nevermind. I'll be home soon. Yeah. Okay, bye."

"Everything alright?" Chuck asks.

"They were just worried because I never went home after school ended," Castiel says. He bites his lip and looks up at John. "Mister Winchester?"

John snorts at the title. "Just call me John, Castiel. There's no need for such formalities."

"Um, okay. I was wondering if I could tell my parents about all this."

"All what?" Mary asks, furrowing her brow. Castiel gestures with both hands to everyone in the room.

"This," he says. "The werewolf thing. It's just that, I don't like lying to them, and eventually I'm going to run out of excuses for why I'm almost never home anymore." John opens his mouth, but Castiel cuts him off. "I want to be here for Gabriel as much as possible," he says quickly. "And they'd be more likely to allow that if they knew what's going on."

John looks at Mary, who raises her eyebrows and smiles, and the Alpha sighs.

"Alright, Castiel," he says. "We'll come with you to explain to your parents what's going on, but if they don't receive the news well…"

"I'm sure they will," Castiel says. "They were almost sacrificed to a god when they were younger, so they already know about and believe in supernatural things."

John doesn't look reassured.

.

Sam already has a pretty good opinion of Castiel's parents. They were very okay with Castiel bringing home three strange men and a strange woman, and had even offered them food and something to drink, which they all politely declined.

"I'm afraid we have a rather important matter to discuss," Mary says, somewhat apologetically. Sam knows that her southern upbringing is probably scandalised for refusing someone's hospitality, but they really don't have the time for all that.

"Of course," Castiel's mother, Sarah, says. She and her husband, Henry, are sitting on the loveseat with Castiel smooshed between them. Their daughter is lurking behind the doorway, not that the humans know that. Well, Castiel probably does, given how he keeps shooting glares towards her. "But who did you say you were again?"

"Oh, pardon me," Mary says. "I'm Mary Winchester and this is my husband, John, and our sons, Sam and Dean."

"We go to school with Cas," Dean adds, and Sarah visibly relaxes a bit. Well, visibly if you're a Grey wolf.

"Is something the matter?" Henry asks, looking at Castiel, but the latter shakes his head.

"Nothing like you're thinking," he says. "But there is something really important I need to tell you."

"Of course, baby, what is it?"

Castiel takes a deep breath and gets up to sit at the foot of Dean's armchair so that he can look directly at his parents.

"Do you remember how you were sacrificed to that Pagan god when you were in college?" he asks, and both Henry and Sarah gasp.

"How do you know about that?" Sarah asks sharply, warily.

"I heard you guys talking about it one night, and at first I didn't believe you, but then something happened that changed my mind." Sarah and Henry look suspiciously at the Winchesters, who try to look as nonthreatening as possible.

"Castiel, have you gotten caught up in the wrong crowd?" Sarah asks, eyeing Sam and Dean with barely concealed wariness, and Sam smothers a slightly hysterical laugh. Castiel just looks annoyed.

"No, Mom," he says. "They're—wait, promise you won't freak out?" Castiel's parents look at each other, then nod hesitantly. "They're werewolves."

Sarah promptly faints.

.

"Really, I'm fine," Sarah insists, even as she continues to fan herself with a magazine. Henry only tightens his grip on her hand and doesn't say anything.

"We're truly sorry for springing such a shock on you like this," Mary says for the umteenth time, but Sarah just waves her off. Castiel, with help from John, has already explained the difference between traditional werewolves and Greys, and Henry and Sarah had taken it well. Much better than Sarah's initial reaction would suggest.

"It was just a bit surprising, that's all," Henry says. "It's not every day that you find out your son's best friend is a werewolf."

"Best friend?" Castiel repeats, tilting his head in confusion.

"Yeah, best friend." Henry frowns when Castiel doesn't catch on. "Dean?"

Castiel and Dean look at each other, both obviously surprised, and Sam rolls his eyes.

"My brother's obliviousness aside," he says, "there's something else we have to discuss. Kind of the main reason why we came here."

"Oh, dear," Sarah says quietly. Sam takes a deep breath and lets it out slow, and Mary puts her hand on his shoulder in silent support.

"Greys, as we've already told you, have soulmates," Sam starts. He vaguely hears a derisive snort coming from the hallway where Castiel's sister lurks, but he ignores it. "Mine is Gabriel. Gabriel Shurley."

Sarah's eyes widen and Henry makes a startled noise.

"Is that why he's been so off lately?" she asks. "At first it was the mooning around, then it was the missing all those days of school, then acting as if he'd won the Miss universe contest."

Sam chuckles a bit at the description.

"Yeah, that was all because of me," he says. "Gabriel's part werewolf. We're not sure how much, exactly, but it's enough that the Bond was formed not too long ago."

"Oh, well I'm glad for you both," Henry says. "As long as you don't hurt him, that is."

Sam winces, and both humans zero in on the motion like hawks.

"Did something happen?" Sarah asks sharply. Sam purses his lips and takes a shuddering breath, and John takes pity on him.

"Long story short," the Alpha says, "Gabriel was attacked by vampires not too long ago. The hospital gave him a transfusion of human blood, and when Gabriel phased into a wolf for the first time, that human blood began attacking his Grey cells."

Sarah's hand flies to her mouth. "So… what does that mean for him, exactly?" she asks.

"It means that unless we can figure out a way to stop this soon, he'll die," John says, and Sam isn't the only one who winces.

"What are you doing to help him?" Henry asks.

"Our… friend is a doctor, and he's been going through records, trying to find any other instances of this. It's all we can do for right now." Castiel's parents nod slowly.

"Right, well, we'll come visit him soon," Sarah says. Then something seems to come to her, and she frowns down at her son. "Castiel, is this why you wanted to be pulled out of school?"

"We offered to get him a tutor," Sam explains quickly. "That's what everyone in our pack is doing, and Gabriel, too, so we thought that Cas might like to join us."

"Oh. Well, we'll think about it, but I don't see why not."

"I wasn't expecting you guys to be so calm about this," Castiel says.

"Well, son, after you're almost sacrificed to a god, you tend to take a more relaxed approach to life," Henry says.

"Yes, that or you become a paranoid nutcase," Sarah adds.

"We were lucky enough to be the first one, not the second."

Castiel gets up and hugs his parents. "You guys are the best."

.

Sam blinks at the girl in front of him. She can't be that much younger, but the way she's pouting makes her look ten, even though she has to be somewhere around fourteen years old. Dean and his parents are already at the car, but the girl—Anna, Sam thinks—had stopped him before he could follow.

"I don't believe you," she tells him. He merely raises an eyebrow, inviting her to continue. "About Gabriel and being a werewolf. There's no way that any of that is true."

"Oh, really?" Sam says, irritated. His wolf wants him to just storm past her—she's keeping him from Gabriel, after all—but Sam refrains, and instead lets himself phase until his eyes are glowing and his teeth are elongated. "Are you sure about that?"

Anna gasps and takes an involuntary step backwards, and Sam smirks and walks past her. He makes it halfway to the car before she catches up to his longer strides.

"Wait!" she calls. He sighs but waits for her to catch up. She stops a fair distance from him, panting slightly. "Y-you're really a werewolf." Sam simply stares at her. "Tell… tell Gabriel that I hope he gets better soon. If he dies, I'll never forgive him."

Sam's eyes soften a bit and he offers her a small smile as he says, "I will. And don't worry, Anna. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Anna blushes and looks away, scowling, but she doesn't deny the claim. Dean honks the horn of the car and Sam offers a quick farewell as he turns and rejoins his family.

.

Svadilfari is not a dumb wolf. He always, always calculates the risks of every action he takes and acts in a manner which will present to him the least amount of difficulties with the highest payoff.

That being said, he's currently acting like an idiot.

He was never a part of Michael's pack, but he's related to one of the members and he kept him updated. He knows everything that's been going on, and he's decided to stay out of it.

Or at least, he was going to stay out of it. Now, though….

Now, though, there's a strong, young Alpha Grey lying practically defenseless in a hospital, and Svadilfari is entranced. He suspects that his mate is a male because while he has been attracted to females before, the real feelings were always for males. And Gabriel is capable of mating, according to Svadilfari's cousin.

He has his sights set on the part-Grey, and nothing will change his mind. All he needs now is a plan and a way to get into and out of the hospital without getting caught. Luckily, he knows just the guy to help him out.

.

Sam doesn't get very much sleep that night. He slept for almost six hours straight earlier—okay, he didn't sleep, but he wasn't exactly awake, either—and his internal clock is thrown off. But besides that, his mind, which is usually filled with the background noises of Gabriel's thoughts, is silent for once. It unnerves him.

So, no, he doesn't sleep much that night, but he does get a lot of other things done. He cleans his entire room until everything smells like bleach and vacuum fumes, and then he goes on to quieter activities when he hears every member of the house growl at him from their bedrooms. He tries to read, but he's too distracted to focus on any book. He doesn't want to leave the house so he's not going to go for a run, and there's not really much else he can do to occupy himself until morning comes and he can go back to the hospital.

Luckily, fate seems to be on his side, because he gets a phone call around three in the morning, right when he's considering tearing his own hair out just for something to do. He doesn't recognize the number, but the area code is local, so he picks it up anyway.

"Hello?"

"Sam." Sam's eyes widen a bit when he recognises Raphael's voice.

"Raphael," he acknowledges. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, actually. I'm afraid that there are more records than I first thought." Raphael sounds frustrated, even with his voice distorted over the phone. "I figured that you wouldn't be doing anything, so I was wondering if you wanted to help me go through them."

"How did you know I wouldn't be sleeping?" Sam asks, even as he grabs his shoes.

"Your mate is unconscious in the hospital and we currently have no idea how to fix him," Raphael says bluntly. "I'd be honestly surprised if you'd managed to fall asleep."

"Fair point. Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Come to the lobby of the hospital. I'll be waiting for you there." And with that, Raphael hangs up without so much as a 'goodbye'. Sam rolls his eyes and pockets his phone, then quietly creeps to the front door. He doesn't want to wake anyone else up (again), so he tries to be as quiet as he can.

"Going somewhere?"

So much for that plan.

Sam sighs and turns around, giving Dean his best intimidating glare. He knows he's not more dominant than his brother, but neither is Dean more dominant than him, so there's a chance that it could work. Dean huffs a laugh at the glare and pushes Sam aside so that he can reach down and grab his shoes from their place by the door, and Sam notices for the first time that Dean is dressed in jeans and a jacket, obviously ready to go.

"I could ask the same thing of you," Sam says. His fingers itch to reach for the doorknob, but there's no way Dean will let him just run off in the middle of the night, not when there's so much going on.

"I'm going with you," Dean says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I heard your conversation with the doc. Something about helping him go through records? I figure three people will be able to get a lot more done than two."

That's true, but Sam doesn't want Dean to come along. He already looks tired enough, and from what Sam's gathered, he hasn't really slept since the fight. He looks exhausted; there are bags under his eyes and his skin is a bit paler than usual. Sam already feels bad enough about inadvertently putting Gabriel in the hospital. He doesn't need the guilt of keeping Dean from sleeping on top of that.

"I don't need a babysitter, Dean," Sam says, blocking the door when Dean tries to go through. Dean gives him a mild glare, his eyes narrowed, and Sam glares right back. "He's my mate; you don't have to come with me. If anything, you should be sleeping."

"So should you," Dean shoots back immediately. "But he's not just your mate, Sam. He's a part of the pack, too, and he was my friend even before that. You're not the only one who cares about him and you're not the only one who wants to see him better. If it had been Cas instead of Gabriel, would you have let me stop you from going?"

Sam finds it very interesting that Dean would compare Castiel and himself with Sam and Gabriel, but he doesn't mention it. Now's not the time to start frivolous discussions.

"Fine," Sam says, moving away from the door. "You're right. Let's just go before Dad wakes up. You know how pissy he gets when his sleep is interrupted."

Dean chuckles triumphantly and grabs the keys to the Impala, and the two of them creep quietly out of the house. Sam huffs out a laugh when Dean lets the car roll silently out of the driveway before turning on the engine and driving off; they're taking so many precautions, but there's a huge chance that John heard them anyway.

The drive to the hospital is quiet but not uncomfortable, both Greys too lost in their thoughts to worry about things like meaningless conversation meant to fill a silence. Sam stares out of the window, watching trees and houses pass by, and he ponders Raphael. The doctor confuses him; he's an unknown variable, and that puts Sam on edge. Surprisingly, his wolf doesn't seem to have a problem with him, but that's probably because their Alpha told him not to. The wolf always was much more simplistic in his thoughts than Sam.

But there's really no way to tell what Raphael will do at any given time, or what his motives are, and so Sam is just a bit wary when they pull up to the hospital and walk into the lobby. The receptionist looks at them expectantly, but Raphael is already there like he said he would be.

"Sam, Dean," the doctor says, inclining his head in greeting. "Took you long enough. But I'm guessing that trying to convince Dean not to come took a bit longer than expected."

Raphael's voice sounds as expressionless as ever, but Sam thinks he hears an undercurrent of amusement in his tone that indicates Raphael's not trying to antagonize them, so Sam simply hums in affirmation. The doctor leads them to the elevator and they travel up to the second floor.

Being in the hospital at night is strange. The lights in the hallways are just as bright as they were during the day, but everything just feels more… muted and subdued. He's careful to tread as lightly as he can lest he disturb any of the patients who are no doubt sleeping in their rooms. It's so quiet that he can almost feel the silence like a blanket over his shoulders; none of the three Greys say a word until they reach Raphael's office.

"So, what did you need help with exactly?" Dean asks, his voice a bit quieter than usual.

"Going through records, like I told Sam over the phone," Raphael replies. He points to three cardboard boxes in one corner of the office. "Those files make up about half of the records for Greys that have been treated at the hospital. The other half is in the digital archive, and that's where I'll be looking."

"What are we looking for?" Sam asks, opening one of the boxes. His eyes widen when he takes in the sheer amount of files that are in the box; there have to be hundreds.

"The patient was a Grey who was here at least seven years ago, and his situation was exactly like Gabriel's," Raphael replies. He sits down at his desk and clicks his mouse a few times, bringing his computer to life. "That's all I know about him, which is why I've been having so much trouble locating the file."

Dean rolls his shoulders and looks determinedly at the boxes. "Alright, Sammy, let's get to work."

.

"What?" Zachariah snaps when he answers his phone. It's ass o'clock in the morning and he doesn't appreciate being woken up, especially since he only just got home from his night shift at the hospital.

"Zachariah," a deep voice says from the other end of the line, and Zachariah frowns.

"Who is this?" he demands.

"My name is Svadilfari. I am the cousin of one of your packmates, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"I'm an anesthetist, not a doctor, so if you're hurt you probably want to get into contact with Raphael." He prepares to end the call, but laughter from Svadilfari's end stops him.

"I'm not in need of a doctor, not in the way you assume."

"Then what do you want?" Zachariah asks irritably.

"I want the Grey who's in the ICU currently," the other wolf says, and Zachariah freezes. Every member of his pack knows about Gabriel Shurley and how Raphael left the pack to help him, and no one is happy about it, Zachariah least of all. He sometimes ponders finding some way to get rid of the boy, to make Sam feel the pain that Zachariah felt when Michael was killed, but he's never had the opportunity.

Until now.

A slow smile spreads across his face. "I'm listening."

...

 **Quick note: for those of you who know anything about old Norse mythology, Svadilfari might be familiar to you. One story tells of how the Aesir, or Asgardians, hired a giant to build a wall around their city or something, and if he finished in a certain time period they'd have to give him the sun, the moon, and one of their goddesses. Thanks to his enormous work horse, the giant managed to work really fast and was definitely going to finish in time.**

 **Since the gods all blamed Loki, they made him go fix it. He decided to distract the horse, Svadilfari, by turning into a mare and leading him off into the forest. The wall isn't complete and the gods don't have to give anything up, and nine months later Loki comes back with a baby horse in his arms. It's pretty implied that Svadilfari raped Loki (unless Loki wanted to have sex with a horse, but that seems a little iffy to me) and since Gabriel's alter ego is Loki, I thought this would be a cool, obscure reference to the show.**

 **(No, Gabriel is not raped in this story. I can barely write a make out scene without getting embarrassed, there's no way I'll be able to write rape are you kidding. Besides, I don't endorse that shit)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update, but I've just been so busy lately and I was a little too stressed to worry about writing, heh. Life and anxiety have teamed up to kick my ass but, hey, I've been in Hawai'i this past week and managed to actually relax for once, and voila! Anyway, enjoy the chapter and keep in mind, please, that not only do comments feed my soul, but also let me know what you guys want to see in my stories and my writing in general.**

* * *

Sam wakes with a groan, squeezing his eyes shut tighter even as he rolls his shoulders to ease the tension in them. This is the last time he falls asleep at his desk, though that's exactly what he said last time, so the chances of this happening again are still relatively high. Blinking open his eyes, he freezes when he finds himself in an unfamiliar office. A low growl builds up in his throat before memory catches up with him and he relaxes.

He'd apparently fallen asleep sitting up against the wall of Raphael's office with his head on his chest, which explains the monstrous crick in his neck and the persistent ache in his back. Dean and Raphael, at least, are sleeping on furniture, the former on the couch and the latter in his office chair. Pulling out his phone, Sam checks the time and curses. It's seven in the morning, which means John is probably already awake. When he notices his sons snuck out in the middle of the night….

Oh god, they are so grounded.

Pulling himself up with another groan, Sam tries and fails to alleviate the pain in his neck. Irritable now, as well as tired and hungry, he grabs a pencil from the desk and flicks it at his brother. The pointed end jabs Dean right in the cheek and he startles awake with a strangled yelp, eyes already glowing and wide as he looks around for the threat. Sam huffs out a laugh when Dean, having determined that he's not in danger, flops back onto the couch.

"You're such a bitch," he mumbles into his arm. Sam rolls his eyes as he goes to wake the doctor much more gently than he'd woken Dean. It take a good few shakes for Raphael to wake up and even then he's groggy. Sam wonders how much sleep he's gotten over the past few days and can't help but feel a little bad.

"What time is it?" Raphael asks through a yawn.

"A little after seven," Sam replies. "Dean and I are going to head out. You have somewhere to go?"

"Yes, I have a hotel room not that far from here," Raphael replies. Sam and Dean exchange frowns.

"You're staying in a hotel?" Dean asks.

"Well, it's not like I can stay in my old pack's house," the doctor replies wryly. He pulls himself out of his chair and stretches, then begins to organise the files scattered across the room. He opens one and idly flicks through it. "I take it neither of you found the file last night?" Sam and Dean shake their heads and the doctor sighs. "Right. Well, you two can go. I'm going to check on Gabriel once before I leave."

"Are you working today?" Sam asks as they leave the office. Raphael locks it behind him and then leads the way down the hall towards the elevator.

"Yes, but my shift doesn't start until eight," he says.

"You only got a few hours of sleep last night," Dean says. Raphael shrugs.

"I'm not scheduled for any surgeries today and the lack of sleep isn't going to affect me," he says casually. Sam figures that this isn't an uncommon occurrence.

"Still, you don't have to go back to your hotel," he says, knowing how uncomfortable a hotel would be for a lone wolf without a pack. "You can come back with us for an hour."

"That's a kind offer, but I need to shower and all of my stuff is in my hotel room. And before you say anything, no, I'm not going to drive to my hotel, get my stuff, and then drive in the opposite direction to your house."

"Can we at least go with you to see Gabriel?" Dean asks. Raphael shakes is head ruefully.

"Visiting hours aren't until nine," he says. "Technically, I'm not even supposed to be in there before my shift starts, but I want to make sure the night staff didn't do anything stupid."

"Let me know if something's wrong," Sam orders as they get to the elevator. Raphael nods, shifting in place a bit as Sam's Alpha voice comes out unintentionally. They ride down to the lobby floor in silence. The doctor offers the brothers a wry wave when the brothers exit. The receptionist, a different one than had been here last night, gives them a suspicious look as they walk past him, and Dean offers him a smirk to rile him up.

"It's too easy," he snickers when the man visibly bristles. He reaches for the phone on his desk (probably to call security, judging by the way his pupils dilate and his heart rate spikes in fear) and Sam stops and turns to him with a sigh, ready to do damage control for his brother, like usual.

"We were let in last night by Doctor Raphael…." Sam stops, realising that he doesn't even know Raphael's last name. "Doctor Raphael," he finishes lamely. "You can call him if you don't believe us, but we didn't do anything and we're leaving now."

Smiling wanly, he turns and all but drags his brother out of the hospital. Dean yawns widely as they're crossing the parking lot to where the Impala waits, and Sam looks at him askance, wondering if perhaps he should drive. Dean takes the option away from him by sliding into the driver's seat before Sam's even at the car, and the younger comforts himself with the fact that Dean won't drive recklessly and endanger Baby if he's this tired.

"Coffee?" Dean suggests. He looks extremely rumpled, with his hair sticking out every which way, his clothes all wrinkled and obviously slept in, and his eyes droopy and very much not alert. Sam doesn't think he looks much better.

"Please," Sam groans. Dean chuckles and pulls out of the parking spot carefully, then exits the hospital complex and sets a course for the nearest Starbucks.

"So how mad do you think Dad's gonna be?" Dean asks.

"Hopefully not at all," Sam replies. "But maybe bringing coffee will help."

"Good idea," says Dean. Because Starbucks are everywhere, it only takes them a few minutes to find one with a drive-through. They order their coffee, give an extra tip to the exhausted looking teenager in the window, and then start heading home.

"Where have you been?" John demands as soon as they walk through the door.

"Getting coffee," Dean replies. They walk into the kitchen, their father following behind them with a scowl on his face.

"All night?"John asks skeptically.

"...Yes," Sam says slowly. He grabs the largest cup and pushes it into his father's hand, then he and Dean try to dart out of the room with their own coffees clutched tight to their chests.

" _Stop._ "

They freeze and Dean lets out a small whine when John's Alpha voice filters through the room. Slowly, he circles them until they're face-to-face.

"Where were you last night?" he asks, pushing his power into his question. Dean looks to Sam, an uncomfortable look on his face as he tries to resist the command. Sam squirms but can't resist for long.

"We were with Raphael," he says, the words sounding forced. "He wanted our help with looking for that file that'll help us cure Gabriel."

John rolls his eyes, the scowl leaving his face as he sighs. "Idiots," he says fondly. "You could've just told me that in the first place."

"We thought you'd be mad," Dean says defensively.

"I am mad that you snuck out," John replies. "But Gabriel's a part of this pack, and your mate, Sam, and I understand that you need to be doing something. That being said, you should have told me you were going out. You two are still pups, and there are dangers in this town."

"Dad," Sam groans. "We're not pups. I'm sixteen years old."

"You're not full adults yet, which makes you pups," John says, his eyes filled with amusement. "Now go get some sleep or take a shower or something; you both look like crap."

"Thanks, Dad," Dean says sarcastically as they walk out of the kitchen. They meander down the hallway to the stairs, then up to their rooms. Instead of going to sleep, though, they head to the game room at the end of the hall. Sam drops heavily onto one of the bean bag chairs, snorting when Dean tries to do the same but misses and ends up on the floor.

"So," he says after a while. "Now what?"

"Now we drink our coffee, shower, and then get some food," Dean replies. Ash walks into the room then, yawning and still rumpled from sleep. He stands in the doorway silently, blinking blearily at them as he tries to form words.

"Who has food?" he asks after a few moments.

"Not us," Dean replies. "Dad's probably going to make breakfast, though, so go ask him."

"Don't tell me what to do," Ash mutters, turning and stumbling back out of the room. Jo comes in immediately after he's gone, freshly showered and way too alert for how early it is.

"Was that Ash I saw?" she asks cheerfully. Everyone in the pack knows that Ash is most definitely _not_ a morning person, and Jo takes the most enjoyment out of seeing him so out of it since she's the exact opposite.

"Yeah," Dean says. "What's he doing up? He's usually not awake until at least lunch."

"I think John woke him up when he was using his Alpha voice on you," Jo says. "You know how Ash has a hard time ignoring that."

"Not sorry!" John calls from downstairs, and Sam chuckles.

"So, I heard you two were helping Doctor Dolittle last night," Jo continues, sinking into an armchair and snatching Dean's coffee. She takes a large sip before handing it back. "How'd that go?"

"We were working for hours but we didn't find it," Sam says, some of his disappointment leaking into his voice. Jo makes a sympathetic face and gets up to sit next to him, her shoulder brushing his comfortingly.

"We'll find it, Sam," she says. "He'll be okay. From what I know of Gabriel, he's not the type to be down for long."

Sam cracks a smile. "You got that right. Thanks, Jo."

Jo winks at him and shifts to make herself more comfortable. "Someone start a game or put on a movie or something before I die of boredom."

Sam rolls his eyes but moves to comply.

* * *

Later that day, Sam and Dean pick up Castiel, then go to the hospital to visit Gabriel and check on Raphael. Sam suspects that Raphael's the type of person to work himself to exhaustion if not stopped. It makes him think: was it Raphael's pack who used to make sure he ate and slept? Now that Raphael's a lone wolf, there's no one to ensure he doesn't pass out from working too hard. The thought makes Sam feel guilty, and a little depressed, so he pushes it away and focuses on walking.

The receptionist looks like he'd rather be anywhere else at the moment, tapping away listlessly at his keyboard, and his eyes are bored when he looks at Sam.

"Can I help you?" he asks warily.

"We're here to visit Gabriel Shurley," Sam says. The receptionist reluctantly looks up the name on his computer.

"He's in the ICU," the receptionist says. "I'm afraid only close family is allowed in that ward."

Sam's wolf bristles angrily and Sam has to work to keep his composure. "I'm his fiancé," he replies smoothly, grin widening the slightest bit when the receptionist's mouth drops open into a small 'o'.

"Congratulations," he says, sounding anything but congratulatory. "But I'm afraid that doesn't count as close family."

Sam's wolf growls and the smile drops off his face as he works to contain the sound. Leaning forward, he slams his hands on the desk and growls low, his eyes glowing green and his fangs flashing in the flourescent lighting.

"I've lost my patience with you," he growls. "My mate is alone in the ICU and I wish to see him, so unless you want to see what happens to those who get in the way of a wolf and his mate, I suggest you-"

A hand slaps across Sam's mouth, effectively cutting him off. Sam turns and snarls at the offender, his wolf getting more and more out of control by the minute, but Castiel is unfazed. He grips Sam's hand and drags him away, glaring at all the people who stop to stare. Hopefully, they'll just think that Sam's eyes and teeth are fake or a trick of the light, because he really does not want to deal with more hunters on top of everything else that's going on, but he's almost too angry to care.

Castiel leads him into the bathroom and shuts the door a little harder than necessary, leaving Dean to try and smooth things over with the receptionist. As soon as he's sure they're alone, Castiel turns and fixes Sam with a glare, arms akimbo.

"You need to calm down," he says sternly. Sam flashes his teeth and growls, but Cas isn't fazed. Again. "Sam, I understand that you're pissed off and worried, but you can't take it out on people who don't know what's going on."

"How could you understand?" Sam asks, almost sneeringly. "It's not your mate that's lying unconscious in a hospital bed while his body destroys itself."

Castiel's eyes flash with anger and Sam winces a bit. He knows exactly what Castiel's going to say but he doesn't interrupt, knowing that he probably needs to hear it.

"You don't think other people care about Gabriel?" Castiel hisses, and yup, there it is. Sam hunches his shoulders but doesn't try to defend himself. If he were in his wolf form right now, he'd have his ears back, head down, and tail tucked between his legs.

"He may be your mate, but he's my best friend," Castiel continues, voice getting louder the longer he speaks. "You have no right to undermine my feelings just because you're too thick-headed to understand that Gabriel may be your mate, but he's more than that, too. He's a son, Sam, and a brother to my sister, and he has other friends and family who'd be just as devastated as you if something were to happen to him. So, yeah, I may not understand how you feel about him, but at least I try to be understanding. We all do, actually; every member of your pack, everyone who knows what's going on right now, we're all doing our best to make it seem like everything's going to be okay for your sake, so you don't go crazy, and the least you could do is recognise that you're not the only one who cares about him."

Castiel's panting slightly by the time he's finished, a scowl firmly in place on his face and his blue eyes practically flashing with anger. Sam bites his lip.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly, and Castiel only snorts. He sighs and seems to lose most of his anger after a moment.

"I know," he says. "Just try to keep in mind that we're doing the best we can, Sam, but you have to meet us halfway. We can't keep ourselves positive if you're dragging down the mood all the time."

Sam thinks that's a bit unfair (he hasn't been _moping_ or anything, and he thinks he's being rather positive, given the circumstances) but he doesn't say anything.

That's how Dean and Raphael find them a minute or two, both of them with their arms crossed and the tension nearly palpable in the air. The doctor raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment, but Dean looks between Sam and Castiel with narrowed eyes.

"I've smoothed things over with Lawrence," Raphael says, steadfastly ignoring the way Sam and Castiel are carefully not looking at each other. "He's convinced that what he saw was you playing a prank on him."

"He still hates you," Dean adds. "But he's more willing to let us into the ICU now that Raph has vouched for us."

"Don't call me Raph," Raphael says immediately, crinkling his nose in distaste. Dean simply smiles and nods in a manner that means he's not going to stop. "Come on, then. I think Gabriel's father is already in the ICU."

"Chuck's here?" Sam says in surprise. Castiel eyes him sideways.

"Why wouldn't he be?" he says. "Gabriel's his son."

That successfully shuts Sam up, and the rest of the walk to the ICU is silent. Raphael, apparently on his break, opens the door to the ward with a keycard on a lanyard, then leads them to Gabriel's room. Chuck is sitting in the lone chair next to Gabriel's bed, flipping slowly through the pages of a black binder. He doesn't look up when Castiel and the wolves enter.

"Morning," he says, his voice slightly hoarse as if he hasn't been using it lately. Guilt slams into Sam hard enough to leave him slightly breathless. He'd completely forgotten about Chuck, and now he feels like the worst person on the planet. Chuck is pack, and Sam had left him alone to deal with his only son being in the hospital. What kind of packmate is he?

Chuck looks up at them and smiles, but it doesn't reach his tired eyes.

"How are you, Sam?" he asks. "I know this can't be easy for you."

Oh, God, it seems Chhuck is purposefully trying to kill Sam with guilt. Squirming a bit, Sam looks over at Castiel, who raises an eyebrow.

"I'm okay," Sam says to Chuck. "I'll be better once Gabriel's awake."

"Won't we all," Chuck replies rhetorically.

"I feel so loved," says a scratchy voice, and all eyes snap immediately to the bed. Gabriel, pale and much too thin and looking exhausted, gives them all a tired smile even as they stand and gape at him. "Hi."

"Gabriel!" Sam cries happily, rushing forward so fast that Dean is practically launched out of the way. Sam sinks to his knees next to the bed and grips Gabriel's hand in both of his, tears gathering in his eyes. "God, it's so good to hear your voice again."

"Yours too, Samsquatch," Gabriel replies. He looks like shit, if Sam's being honest, but his eyes are sparkling, and the sight makes Sam's heart flutter with happiness. Gabriel gives him a sly smile, no doubt sensing it through the bond. His gaze flickers up, past Sam, who abruptly remembers that they're not alone in the room.

"Hey, Dad," Gabriel says. "How's it hanging? Oh, God, no, don't cry—not you, too, Cas. Come on, guys, it can't be that bad."

"You fucking idiot," Castiel says, his voice thick. "Do you even know where you are?"

Gabriel looks around. "Oh. Why am I in the hospital? Also, what's going on?"

"Apparently, the night nurse forgot to give you enough morphine to keep you under," Raphael says as he flips through Gabriel's medical chart. "But now that you're awake, we might as well keep you awake unless the pain gets bad."

"Pain?" Gabriel says, tilting his head. Then he flinches and sucks in a deep breath, and Sam feels a quick spike of pain through the bond before Gabriel slams a wall up between them. "Oh. That pain."

Sam winces in sympathy.

"Alright, everyone out for a few minutes," Raphael says. "I need to do a quick evaluation and you guys will just be a distraction."

"Wait, is anyone going to tell me why I'm in the hospital, feeling like actual shit?" Gabriel asks, and Sam snorts out a laugh.

"Yes," Raphael says. He lifts an eyebrow, fixing Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Chuck with a mild glare. "After they leave."

Castiel hesitates only a moment before leaving with Dean, and Chuck darts forward to give Gabriel's shoulder a quick squeeze before following. Sam only narrows his eyes at Raphael, tightening his grip on Gabriel's hand and letting his wolf out a bit.

"There's no need for that, Sam," Raphael says, but he still lowers his eyes. "I'm not going to make you leave, though Gabriel has the final decision."

"He can stay," Gabriel says immediately, making Sam's wolf rumble with happiness. "Okay, so someone start explaining."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Raphael asks. He walks over to Gabriel and starts poking at the various wires attached to him. Gabriel frowns and tries to remember; his concentration slips a bit and the wall between them crumbles into nothing. Sam winces at the pain he can feel through the bond, but Gabriel seems to be doing an excellent job at ignoring it.

"I remember that batshit crazy Alpha kidnapping me," Gabriel says, his eyes suddenly narrowing. "And I remember you helping him."

"Raphael had no choice," Sam explains quickly. "Michael forced him to. He's actually a doctor here, and he's been looking for a way to cure you."

Gabriel gives Raphael a dubious look, but the doctor, to his credit, ignores him as he pokes at the IV hanging from a pole next to Gabriel's bed. "Cure me of what?" he asks after a moment.

"The human blood in that transfusion you got a while ago is attacking your werewolf cells, which is slowly and painfully killing you," Raphael says as he absentmindedly marks something on Gabriel's chart. "If left to your own devices, your internal organs will shut down one by one, eventually leading to total organ failure and then death."

Gabriel blinks. "Wow."

"Was that necessary?" Sam growls, his wolf irritated with Raphael's bluntness.

"No, it's okay, Sam," Gabriel says, his eyes wide. "I appreciate the honesty. Is there anything we can do?"

"There is a cure in the archives somewhere. We just need to find it," Raphael replies. He sets the chart back at the foot of Gabriel's bed, sighing and rubbing at his eyes. "I've been looking, and Sam and Dean helped me last night, but it's proving more difficult to find than I thought."

"But… you will find it, right?" Gabriel asks in a small voice. Fear trickles into Sam's mind, as does the smallest feeling of betrayal, and Sam instantly feels bad. They should have allowed Gabriel to wake up, even if it was only briefly, so that they could've told him what was going on.

"Of course we will," Sam says confidently, squeezing his mate's hand. In their heads, he adds, _I'm so sorry for not letting you know, love._

 _I forgive you because you didn't know and also because I was extremely unconscious, but if you ever keep things from me again I will castrate you and hang your balls from my rearview mirror,_ Gabriel replies. Sam winces and subtly adjusts his stance.

"Okay, so now what?" Gabriel asks.

"Now, we continue to give you morphine, but not enough to keep you unconscious," Raphael answers. "If you'd like, we can move you out of the ICU and to one of the regular rooms so the visiting hours and regulations won't be so strict."

"Please," Gabriel groans. "I've literally only been awake in here for like, five minutes, but I already hate it."

Raphael cracks a small smile. "I'll arrange it as soon as I can," he promises. He walks over to the door and opens it, watching apathetically as Chuck, Dean, and Castiel fall to the floor with a yelp. "Meanwhile, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

He walks out, closing the door behind him, and Gabriel's bedside is crowded with people even before it clicks shut.

"Hi, Dad," Gabriel says, his voice muffled by Castiel's shoulder. Chuck, never one for extravagant PDA, grips Gabriel's free hand and squeezes it tight.

"Hey, Gabe," he says, his eyes oddly shiny. "Glad to see you back among the living."

"You and me both," Gabriel says, laughing lightly. He winces subtly, but it appears no one but Sam noticed.

"I never got to tell you," Dean says. "Good job handling that Alpha. For your first fight, you did really good."

Gabriel frowns, and then his eyes widen. Sam, concerned, gently pushes his way into Gabriel's mind, and he outright gasps at the memories he sees.

 _My gaze switches from Sam, who's unconscious on the floor, to Michael. The Alpha is snarling as he circles me and my mate, looking for an opening to attack. Behind us, I can hear Dean shifting from paw to paw. He's anxious, I can nearly smell it in the air, but I don't want him getting involved. Right now, my wolf is mostly in charge and it wouldn't take kindly to someone interrupting our fight._

 _Michael darts forward, jaws open wide and aiming for my front paw. I jump over his head and land on his exposed back, digging in with my claws and clamping my jaws on the back of his neck._

 _He howls angrily and spins around to snap at my back legs, but I jump off of him and out of the way just in time. Crouching low, I growl ferociously in one last ditch attempt to get him to back off. I'm not sure what kind of picture I make, what with me being so much smaller than him, and in my first shift ever, no less, but it doesn't work. I don't know if I was expecting it to._

 _Michael lunges forward while I'm distracted by my own thoughts, but I'm not oblivious enough to let him catch me unawares. Tired of all the dodging around each other, I let out a vicious snarl and dart forward to meet the Alpha halfway. We dissolve into a writhing, snarling mess of teeth and claws, and everything moves too fast for me to do anything other than react. I dodge the blows that are easy to spot, twisting around to give as good as I get when I have the chance._

 _A huge paw comes out of nowhere and sends me flying across the floor before I can move out of the way. It stuns me, and I almost miss Dean dashing forward to bowl Michael over. Dean barks insistently and I shake my head, willing my ears to stop ringing and my vision to clear. I blink at the sight of Dean just barely managing to pin the larger, stronger Alpha, and I rush forward to help._

 _I'm a bit out of my depth here, but luckily my wolf takes over and helps me out. Before I have the time to think and gross myself out, I sink my teeth into Michael's throat and yank as hard as I can. It's a lot easier than I thought it'd be and I pulled a bit too hard, sending blood flying everywhere. My wolf's bloodlust is tamed by the red droplets that stain my fur. I tilt my head back and let loose the howl building up in my throat._

 _I hear my pack howling along, celebrating my victory with me, and the enemy pack howling and crying in pain and defeat, and it fills me with excitement and joy. With my mate safe and the main threat taken care of, I finally succumb to the pain that's been plaguing me since I phased. I can't even be bothered to not fall on top of Michael's body as blackness overtakes my vision and I sink into dark nothingness._


	4. Chapter 4

Sam's unfocused gaze wanders aimlessly over his ceiling, though it's obvious to anyone watching that he's not really looking at the familiar cracks near the walls and corners. He's busy poking around in Gabriel's thoughts as his mate sleeps, now in a regular hospital room instead of the ICU. After seeing the fight between Gabriel and Michael, which he feels incredibly guilty for not helping with, he was a bit worried about the effect it would have on Gabriel's mind.

Gabriel wasn't raised in a family of wolves and Sam was concerned that killing Michael might have left some negative effects, but Gabriel's dreams are filled with nothing but indecipherable images and sensations, all of them of a pleasant nature. If Gabriel feels guilty or horrified over killing Michael, it's buried so deep that not even his subconscious picks up on it.

Shifting onto his side, Sam closes his eyes and tries to sleep. Usually, poking around in Gabriel's head is enough to knock him out pretty quick, but not tonight. Right now, he wants nothing more than to stay up and watch over his mate in the only way he can, almost like a vigil. He's tired, but it wouldn't be the first time he's had to stay up all night. He was in high school not too long ago, and with how many AP classes he was taking, it was a wonder he got any sleep at all.

Sam's door opens slowly, almost silently, and Sam tenses. He loves his pack and so does his wolf, but neither of them take kindly to people just coming in whenever they feel like it, unless it's an emergency. The only people allowed in his room without permission are his parents and-

"Dean. What are you doing here?" Sam whispers, recognising the familiar scent of apples and leather. The bed dips as his brother lies down, poking at Sam's side to get him to move over.

"I could hear you thinking from my room," Dean says, which, given Sam's habit of moving or twitching as he thinks, is not entirely implausible. "This seemed like the only way to get you to stop and go to sleep."

Sam can smell the faint scent of sweat on his brother's skin and hear his slightly faster than normal heartbeat, and he understands. When they were little, Dean would have nightmares very often. He never went to their parents' bed, instead choosing to slide in next to Sam. It seems that though it's been a while, the habit hasn't been entirely broken.

"Sorry," Sam whispers. He doesn't buy Dean's story that this is for Sam's benefit, and he knows Dean knows that he doesn't, but both of them pretend, if only for the sake of Dean's pride. Sam turns over to face Dean, stretching out a hand so it lays in the meager space between them. Dean's hand grasps his own tightly, and it isn't long before they both drift off to sleep.

The next morning, a disoriented Sam is woken by something that he can't quite place. Something is wrong, but he can't find it when he looks around his room. Everything is in place, and it's so early that the sun isn't even up. He phases just enough to take advantage of his wolf's senses and sniffs. No one's been in his room, and everyone is still asleep, judging by the slow breathing he can hear through the walls.

Frowning, he turns over and closes his eyes again, but he can't sleep. His wolf is restless, clearly sensing his unease, and after a few moments of fidgeting Sam gives up and climbs out of bed carefully. Dean immediately rolls into the warm spot left behind, and Sam rolls his eyes fondly at his brother.

 _Gabriel?_ he calls softly, probing a bit to see if his mate is awake. He frowns when there's no answer. He can feel that Gabriel is up, but something's… off. His thoughts are just as disoriented and confusing as they are when he's dreaming, but even when he's dreaming they're never like… this.

Worried now, Sam gently pushes his way into Gabriel's mind to try and figure out what's going on. All he can determine is that Gabriel's still in the hospital, which means that the disorientation is coming from sedatives, most likely. Now that he's come to this conclusion, Sam becomes aware of the sharp, full-body ache that's been plaguing him since he woke up, definitely coming from Gabriel's side of the Bond.

Sam is about to pull out of Gabriel's mind and demand that Dean take him to the hospital when he—or rather, Gabriel, but who has the time to split hairs?—smells a scent that makes all of them (with all of them being Sam and Gabriel and their respective wolves) bristle defensively.

There's another Grey in the hospital. Even worse, there's another Grey in the hospital _with Gabriel._

Sam's heart, for one gut-clenching moment, stops, before it starts pounding double time as adrenaline and anger begin rushing through his veins. Forcing himself not to phase in the middle of his room, he focuses on Gabriel and tries to get a read on who the wolf is.

He has time to recognise that the Grey is entirely unfamiliar before Gabriel's senses suddenly sharpen. For just a split second, Gabriel's mind is flooded with fear and anger, and then there's a sharp pain in his arm and everything goes black far too quickly.

 _Sam!_ Gabriel cries weakly, and Sam's wolf howls in agony.

Sam freezes when he finds himself alone in his mind once again.

 _Gabriel?_ No one replies.

There's a choked grunt from the bed and Sam realises that he's been pushing power out into the room. Dean gags and Sam takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and reeling in his wolf.

"Sam?" Dean asks, coughing a bit. "What is it?"

Sam turns to him, and whatever's in his face is enough to make Dean flinch and look to the side, away from his eyes.

"Gabriel's in trouble," Sam says. "We need to assemble the pack."

.

Svadilfari is one of the most confusing Greys Zachariah's ever seen. He looks entirely unassuming, with short brown hair and pale green eyes and an average height and stature, but he practically oozes danger.

When he gets to the hospital, he greets Zach with a friendly smile that makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and his wolf bristle defensively.

"This is him, I assume?" Svadilfari asks, gesturing to the unconscious boy on the gurney next to them. Zachariah hisses in impatience and looks around, though the parking lot behind the hospital is deserted and will likely remain so until the hospital opens for visitors or an ambulance is needed somewhere else in the city.

"Yes, it is, now take him and go," Zach says. Svadilfari cocks his head and studies Gabriel, then looks at Zach with furrowed brows.

"Why is he in the hospital?" he asks.

"I don't know!" Zachariah snaps, growling. "Who cares? You wanted him and now you have him, so get out of here and never come back."

"Very well," Svadilfari says mildly. He wheels the gurney towards his van and carefully slides Gabriel onto the backseat, then takes the backpack Zachariah offers him. "What is this?"

"Morphine and syringes," Zachariah says. "And instructions. Don't give him too much at one time or you'll kill him."

"Understood." Svadilfari smiles and Zachariah shivers, though it's not cold out at all. "Thank you for your help, Doctor."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. And I'm a fucking nurse. Just get out of here." As he watches Svadilfari drive away, Zachariah grins despite his lingering irritation. "Well, that's one way to get rid of a thorn in your side."

.

It's four in the morning and Sam is in the hospital again. He's never really had an opinion on hospitals before, but he's beginning to hate them; it seems that every time he's in a hospital, he gets bad news or his mate is hurt.

In this case, it's apparently both.

" _What do you mean he's gone!"_

The poor nurse looks about ready to shit her pants, and a very, very distant part of Sam's mind wonders who decided it was a good idea to have her impart the news on her own. With no one else to place the blame on, the full force of Sam's anger is directed towards her, glowing eyes and all.

John practically pounces on him the minute his fangs make an appearance, physically dragging him away into the room that used to be Gabriel's. Bobby, Dean, Rufus, and Ellen are already there, looking grave and (in Dean's case especially) worried. Mary, Jody, and Charlie are prowling around the hospital looking for any traces of Gabriel or whoever could have snuck him out of the hospital, while the youngest two are at home with Garth (much against their will, but no one goes against the Alpha).

Sam snarls at his father and doesn't flinch when the Alpha glares at him.

"Calm down," John orders, his tone leaving no room for disobedience, but Sam's wolf is too enraged to listen. John may be Sam's pack leader, but Sam's an Alpha, too, and there's no wolf more dangerous than an Alpha male whose mate is in danger.

" _They have my mate!"_ Sam shouts, his voice distorted through his fangs. All the wolves but Bobby and John flinch when his power suddenly floods the room, making the air hot and heavy and difficult to breathe.

"And we'll get him back, but right now your temper will only impede our efforts." John's eyes flash when Sam refuses to back down, and he pulls himself up to his full height, teeth bared in a snarl at his younger son. " _I said calm down."_

Sam whines and looks down and away petulantly, still growling and practically vibrating with suppressed rage. The door bursts open and Sam turns towards it eagerly, itching for a fight, but it's only Raphael.

The doctor rushes into the room, looking harried and frantic. He slams the door shut and leans against it, squeezing his eyes tight for a moment and letting out a shaky breath. Dean moves forward instinctively, hand outstretched to give physical comfort like he would to a member of the pack, but Raphael straightens before the movement is completed. His mouth is set determinedly and his eyes are hard and cold.

"I've just done a quick inventory," he says. "We're missing morphine and syringes, and I'm willing to bet that whoever took those took them for Gabriel."

"So it had to be a doctor or a nurse, then," Ellen says. "Someone who was close enough to Gabriel to know what he'd need and who had the knowledge of how to use it."

"That's what I was thinking," Raphael says. "And I can only think of one person who'd do this."

"Tell me," Sam demands, his fangs and claws retracted but his eyes still glowing bright green.

"His name is Zachariah," Raphael says. "He's an anesthetist and a part of the pack that used to be Michael's."

Sam lets out a snarl. "Take me to him."

"Wait," John says. He turns to Raphael, and asks, "Can we get him out of the hospital? I don't want an audience when we confront him."

Raphael nods. "Easy."

John's eyes go unfocused for a second, and then he snaps back to attention. "Mary, Jody, and, Jo will meet us outside in case Zachariah decides to make trouble."

Raphael quickly glances at each wolf in the room to make sure they're ready, then turns and leads the way out. Only the fact that Sam has no idea where to go is keeping him from running ahead. Even though they're walking so fast that Raphael's white coat is billowing out behind him, it's still not fast enough for Sam, not when his mate is unconscious in the hands of another wolf.

They take the stairs, flitting down them quicker than the elevator moves or even a human would be able to go. When they get to the lobby, they see the she-wolves across the room, looking around casually, as if they're there for a relative who was hurt and not to threaten a kidnapper.

Raphael surreptitiously beckons to them, then leads the group to a door at the end of a hallway out of the view of the people in the lobby. The few nurses they pass in the small, poorly lit hallway don't even spare them a second glance as Raph opens a door below a red exit sign. John goes through first, ever the protective Alpha, and he nods to the other behind him.

As impatient as he is, Sam goes through last, turning to Raphael as he passes.

"Are you more dominant than him?" he asks quietly.

"He's a submissive," Raphael replies. "He barely has markings, and it took him years just to convince Michael to let him work at a hospital." The doctor's expression hardens almost imperceptibly. "Back when Michael was a good Alpha," he adds bitterly.

Sam doesn't reply to that. What could he even say? The door closes just a bit too hard after Sam steps out into a small parking lot with only a few cars. The signs in front of each parking spot identify this as the place where all the doctors park.

"Sam," Dean hisses from Sam's left. The pack is hidden well, crouched behind cars and around corners. Sam lets his wolf out the slightest bit, enough to use its hearing; he can just barely detect faint heartbeats, only discernible if he stands still and listens. Mary's insistence that the pack learn to be more stealthy doesn't seem so irritating now.

He doesn't want to hide, and neither does his wolf. He wants to let out his rage on its cause, snarl and threaten and hurt as revenge for whatever Gabriel's going through right now, but even in his current state of mind he knows that it most likely wouldn't go over well. After a moment or two of deliberation, Sam quickly ducks down behind the tires of a large truck. After a few minutes of near silence, broken only by the occasional car driving by and the normal sounds of a busy part of town, the door opens again, and two pairs of shoes step out.

Sam sniffs, and his wolf growls. Raphael's scent is familiar (it's even starting to change a bit with how much time he's spending with John's pack, but that's neither here nor there) but the second one isn't. It does tell Sam that Raphael was telling the truth when he said Zachariah is a submissive. There's the slightest hint of strawberries and chocolate and mint on the anesthetist, and Raphael must be able to detect it, too, because the anger he's letting off is nearly palpable.

"What is so important that you had to order me out here, deserter?" Zachariah asks, the sneer clear in his voice. A low growl comes from Raphael and the pair of shoes that Sam assumes is Zachariah takes a quick step back before catching himself.

"What have you done with the Shurley pup?" the doctor asks.

"What makes you think I had anything to do with his disappearance?"

"I know you, Zachariah," Raphael says darkly. "And I can smell him on you. Cut the bullshit; you and I both know that you were involved in this, if not directly responsible, so tell me what you did." Raph pauses. Sam hears another car pull up to the front of the hospital. "Unless, of course, you'd rather I order you to turn yourself in to the police."

"You wouldn't," Zachariah says, no trace of doubt in his voice. "And besides, our Alpha will just bail me out."

"Your Alpha, not mine," Raphael growls. He sighs in frustration. "I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this." Zachariah is silent but apprehensive, Sam can read it in the way he subtly changes is stance into a defensive posture. It doesn't do much good for him in the end, not after Raphael forces him onto his knees with his power. It rolls over Sam, diluted out in the open air and not stronger than his own dominance, but powerful enough that the young wolf shivers the slightest bit.

" _Tell me what you did to Gabriel Shurley,_ " Raphael demands. Zachariah lets out a loud whine but isn't able to resist the command for longer than that.

"I gave him to another wolf," he gasps, his voice strained.

"Explain." It's a simple command, no coercion behind it, but Zachariah's apparently had enough of Raphael's power as he answers immediately and with no hesitation.

"I was contacted by Metatron's cousin not too long ago. We planned to get the pup out of the hospital. I don't know what he wants with him or where they went."

"What's his name?" Raphael's voice is little more than a growl now, and it's hard to make out exactly what he's saying.

"Svadilfari," Zachariah says. "I don't know his last name."

There's some shuffling and a strangled yelp, and when Sam peeks out from behind the tire he sees Zachariah limp in what appears to be a chokehold.

"You can come out now," the doctor says, and as soon as the rest of the pack materialises he dumps Zachariah's unconscious body into John's arms. The Alpha looks disgruntled but doesn't complain.

"Now what?" Dean asks.

"Now we pay a visit to Metatron," Raphael replies. "We can't all go, not so soon after the fight between the packs." He looks to John, who nods and shifts the body in his arms until Zachariah is hanging over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Mary, Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Rufus, you'll come with us," he says. "Ellen, Charlie, and Jody, go home. Call Castiel and Chuck and let them know what's happening, but don't let them come to the hospital. I don't want to risk anything with police swarming around."

The she-wolves nod and Ellen takes their hands, quickly towing them away from the group and towards their car. Raphael leads the way out into the parking lot, Zachariah held up between Sam and John as if he's awake but having trouble walking. Sam can't stop growling, especially with Zachariah so close. He still smells faintly like Gabriel, and it makes Sam's wolf furious. Only John's glare prevents him from drawing blood as his nails grip the nurse's arm.

They quickly reach Raphael's car and dump the unconscious Grey into the backseat. Raphael slides into the driver's seat, eyes narrowing in confusion when Sam opens the passenger door and gets in.

"What are you doing?" he asks. Sam pauses in buckling his seatbelt and looks at his father, who nods once before leading the others to his own car.

"I'm riding with you," Sam says.

"Clearly. Why?"

"Because I don't want to leave you alone with him," Sam replies, jerking his thumb towards Zachariah. "He may be a submissive but he could still do some damage. Besides, my dad's car only fits five."

Raphael snorts and starts the engine.


	5. Chapter 5

**I had way too much fun torturing Zachariah last chapter, I think. Although now that I think about it, I actually despise him so it's not too bad, right?**

* * *

When they pull up to the house that had been a battlefield not too long ago, Sam can't even tell if it's still occupied or not. There are huge clumps of dirt torn up from the yard and strewn all over the lawn, huge claw marks on the trees and the sides of the building, and suspicious red-brown stains crusted on the grass. It looks like no one's even attempted to clean any of it up, and Sam wonders if that's because they don't care or because their pack is that busy trying to deal with the death of their Alpha.

John's car pulls up as Sam and Raphael finish heaving Zachariah's body out of the backseat. Sam lifts an arm to wave to his father, dropping his half of the nurse's weight in the process. Zachariah's shoulder smacks onto the pavement with a dull thump.

"Oops," Sam deadpans. Raphael rolls his eyes and, after a few seconds of struggling, sighs in exasperation and lifts the body in a bridal carry. They wait for the others to pile out of the car before trekking up to the front door. John rings the bell and motions behind his back for the rest of the pack to be quiet.

A minute or two later, the door is opened, revealing a small she-wolf, her eyes already glowing ice blue and her teeth bared in a snarl.

"Why are you here?" she growls, before catching sight of Zachariah. Her growl suddenly grows into a full-blown snarl, and Sam mentally facepalms. It probably wasn't a good idea to ring the doorbell with one of their submissives casually unconscious in an enemy Alpha's arms, but oh, well. Too late to do anything now.

"What have you done to him?" the wolf snarls, stepping forward threateningly. Sam finds it kind of amusing; she's smaller than everyone on her doorstep, vastly outnumbered, and also no match for three Alphas, but he has to admire her bravery.

"Calm down," John snaps, bristling at the girl's obvious threat. "He's unharmed. We need to speak with your Alpha. Now."

"Give me Zachariah," the girl says lowly, "and I will talk to the Alpha. If he decides not to have you all killed where you stand, you might be allowed to speak with him."

Raphael snorts. "That's rich, considering we nearly annihilated your pack not too long ago."

Sam actually facepalms this time, remembering too late that Raphael has no idea what any of John's hand signals mean. John glowers at the doctor as he dumps Zachariah's body unceremoniously into the girl's arms. She lifts him like he weighs nothing, then sneers at Raphael before slamming the door in their faces.

Raphael blinks as he suddenly finds himself the center of attention. "What?"

John sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"'We'?" Dean repeats, amusement coloring his tone. Raphael narrows his eyes in confusion.

"Yes, we. I fought against them, didn't I? Was I an interested third party?" he asks rhetorically.

"Shut up, both of you," Bobby growls. "Now isn't the time."

"Bobby's right, boys," Mary says in that tone she uses when she's disappointed but trying not to show it. It never fails to make Sam feel like a five-year-old pup again, and now is no exception.

The door opens before anyone can reply. The same she-wolf from before is standing there, her face set into a scowl.

"The Alpha will see you," she says, opening the door a fraction of an inch wider. "But only two of you. The rest will wait in the kitchen."

"Why the kitchen?" Dean asks.

"So that if we need to, we can stab you."

Dean nods once. "Makes sense."

John leads the way into the house and the others follow close behind. All of them are tense and wary, especially when they see all the wolves lining the entrance hall. John's pack is only barely outnumbered, but that extra advantage could mean life or death if the packs get into another fight. Sam just hopes that they can all keep their tempers under control.

One of the wolves separates himself from the wall and sidles up to them, lip curled in a sneer.

"This way to the kitchen," he says, gesturing to a door to the left. John and Mary lock eyes for a few seconds, then nod minutely, obviously reaching a decision through their Bond. Sam feels a pang in his chest. Gabriel still hasn't woken up, which means that Sam's mind is still uncomfortably empty. He tries to ignore the jealousy flaring up at the sight of his parents' mental link in action.

John beckons Sam to him with a minute flick of his head, and the two of them follow the she-wolf further into the house while the rest of their pack filters into the kitchen. Sam's wolf doesn't like being separated from his family, especially not in the den of another pack, but this is the only way to get any closer to finding his mate. He'll just have to suck it up and ignore his discomfort. He's getting pretty good at ignoring emotions, he muses idly.

The new Alpha is sitting behind a desk in what appears to be an office or a study. The room is large and immaculate, but neither John nor Sam look around once inside. They keep their attention on the Alpha, nodding to him out of respect for his territory. The Alpha gives a single nod of acknowledgement, then stands and moves to the front of the desk. He leans back against it casually, arms crossed over his chest in a deliberately relaxed motion as he studies the other two Greys.

Sam lets his eyes flick over the Alpha's form, quickly taking details. He's tall, almost as tall as Sam, and much more built. His posture is casual and relaxed but he's also obviously ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Black markings climb up his neck from below the collar of his t-shirt, stopping just above the juncture where his neck meets his shoulder.

"What brings you to our neck of the woods?" he asks, snapping Sam out of his thoughts. John shoots his son a subtle, preemptive look of warning, then addresses the Alpha in a diplomatic tone Sam didn't even know he had.

"A member of our pack recently went missing and we have reason to believe that a member of your pack had something to do with it," he says, his tone as neutral as he can make it.

"I see," the other Alpha says, his eyes briefly flashing amber. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with one of my wolves ending up unconscious and in your care for a time, would it?"

"Zachariah was being… difficult," John admits. "He hasn't come to any harm from us. He should wake up soon, actually."

The Alpha hums noncommittally. "I'm going to need more details if I'm to help you. I assume that's what you're here for?"

John nods, his mouth twisting. "My wolf was taken from the local hospital by a wolf named Svadilfari, apparently the cousin of one of your wolves."

The Alpha grimaces. "Metatron." He exhales harshly. "I will speak to him and see what I can find out. He's out right now, but he'll be back tonight."

John walks over and grabs a pen from the desk, then scribbles something onto a piece of paper. "Here's my number. Call me as soon as you discover something."

"Of course." The Alpha's eyes flick over to Sam. "If what I know of your pack is true, then it was your mate that was taken." Sam bares his teeth but nods. "I am truly sorry for what has happened. Not all of my pack agreed with Michael, and I wish our packs could have met under better circumstances. I will do everything in my power to help you find your mate."

"Thank you," Sam says, a little tension seeping out of his posture. He has allies and a lead, which is more than he had an hour ago, and he feels more hopeful about finding Gabriel already.

"Sam," John calls. He nods to the Alpha, and then he and Sam exit the office. Their she-wolf guide is nowhere to be seen, but it isn't hard for them to find the kitchen by following the sounds of growling. After collecting the rest of their pack, they pile into their cars and head for home.

...

To absolutely no one's surprise, Castiel and Chuck are waiting for Sam when he gets home. Everyone gathers in the living room, where the two humans, Ash, Jo, and Charlie are sipping at something hot from mugs and listening to Ellen and Jody tell a story. As soon as John enters the room, Chuck zeros in on him like a hawk. He's up and on his feet faster than Sam expected, reminding them all that he's a fully-trained hunter as well as an awkward writer.

"What happened to my son?" Chuck demands, his knuckles turning white around his mug. Castiel quickly catches Sam's eye, then looks to Dean, his blue eyes wide and angry.

"He was kidnapped," John says with a sigh. "But we already know who took him. We're just waiting for more information now."

Chuck's face pales and he slowly sinks back into his seat. "Why can't I keep him safe?" he whispers, and the entire room goes silent.

"It's not your fault, Chuck," Dean says after a moment.

"It's never my fault!" Chuck snaps, his brown eyes blazing even as they grow suspiciously glassy. "It wasn't my fault when he was attacked by vampires, it wasn't my fault when he was kidnapped and almost tortured by Michael, it wasn't my fault that his blood was contaminated. It's never anyone's fault, so _who the hell am I supposed to blame if something happens to him?_ "

The tension in the air is nearly palpable. Sam closes his eyes and swallows hard, fighting back tears. There's a tiny sniffle that sounds like Charlie and a carefully steady exhale from John, and Sam feels his heart constrict.

"This time, you can blame the wolf who took him," Raphael says in his quiet voice. Sam opens his eyes; the doctor is sitting on the floor against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest and eyes staring unseeingly at his hands. He blinks and looks up at Chuck, his eyes filled with fury and glowing amber. "And when we get Gabriel back, we'll make sure Svadilfari gets what he deserves."

Despite himself, Sam shivers.

…

It's after dinner when Gabriel wakes up, just moments before Zachariah's Alpha calls. Sam is sitting on the edge of his bed, leg bouncing restlessly and teeth working away at his thumb nail. The change is abrupt; one moment, Sam's head is empty but for his thoughts, and the next, Gabriel is suddenly just _there._

He feels disoriented and groggy, and incredibly pissed off.

 _When I get my hands on the idiot who drugged me I'm going to snap his neck and then bathe in his blood,_ Gabriel hisses, and Sam feels a huge, dopey grin split his face.

 _Gabriel!_

 _Sammy!_

Joy and relief slam into Sam, hard, through the Bond, and he's sure that Gabriel is feeling the same emotions from him.

 _Gabriel, are you okay? Where are you? What's going on?_

 _Sam, calm down,_ Gabriel says, laughter in his voice. _I literally just woke up._

 _Sorry, I'm just excited. At least tell me how you are._

 _I'm… fine,_ Gabriel says, and Sam feels a spike of worry at his hesitance.

 _Gabe, what's wrong? And don't try to tell me it's nothing._

Gabriel is silent for so long that, were it not for his nearly tangible presence inside his mind, Sam would have worried that he was unconscious again.

 _I think I'm getting worse,_ he says finally, in a small voice that has Sam's wolf instantly on edge. _I don't know what they were doing to me in the hospital, but it must have been helping at least a little because right now I feel like shit._

 _Gabe…._ Sam doesn't know what to say to make his mate feel better. The truth is that there's nothing either of them can do, and they both know it.

 _Sorry. It's not that bad, Sammy,_ Gabriel lies. _I'm just tired and my stomach hurts, it's no big deal._

Sam bites his lip but drops it.

 _Where are you?_ he asks.

 _I have no idea. I think it's a library._ Sam can practically see Gabriel's determined expression as he looks around, and the thought makes him smile. _Okay, definitely a library. I don't think I've ever seen so many books in one place in my life._

 _What else? Can you see any doors or windows, or anything that might let me know where you are?_

 _No windows, but there's a door… ugh, it's locked. Considering I'm not tied to a chair or something, I'm willing to bet that every exit is locked._

 _You're probably right,_ Sam says, sighing out loud in frustration. _Anyway, you're not in any condition to fight even if you could get out._

 _Excuse you, I am in tiptop shape,_ Gabriel says, his voice distracted. Sam's willing to bet he's still looking around the room. _Although I think there may be morphine in my system right now, which is how I'm able to walk around. You know, phasing would probably just make everything worse, I think._

 _Yeah, you might want to stay human for right now,_ Sam agrees. _Are you okay?_

 _You already asked me that before,_ Gabriel says. _To answer a little more truthfully, I actually don't know. I feel a little high, to be honest, but that just may be the morphine._

 _No pain?_

 _No, but I feel like there should be. When I woke up, there was a water bottle and a few bags of chips sitting next to me, but thinking about eating or drinking made me want to throw up._

Sam feels a sharp pang of worry. _Gabriel, how long has it been since you ate?_

 _I don't know. If I was still in the hospital yesterday, then I had dinner around six, but that's it._

 _That's over twenty-four hours!_ Sam says, mouth dropping open and eyebrows furrowing. _Gabe, you have to eat._ He can physically feel how much Gabriel doesn't want to, the Bond thrumming with disgust and nausea strong enough that Sam presses a hand to his mouth.

 _I don't think I could keep anything down,_ Gabriel admits. _And I don't actually_ feel _hungry._

 _Please, love,_ Sam says, his voice pleading and worried. _You have to eat something. At least drink water._

 _Fine,_ Gabriel sighs. _Am I close to being rescued? I've only been awake for like five minutes and I'm already so done with this whole thing._

Sam huffs, amused. _We're closer than we were this morning. The wolf who took you is named Svadilfari and he's the cousin of one of Michael's wolves. We talked to their new Alpha and he's agreed to help us find you._

 _Oh, well that was nice of him,_ Gabriel says half-sarcastically. _When I get back home, I'll make sure to punch him instead of snapping his neck._

Sam rolls his eyes, amused by his mate's histrionics. _Don't do anything stupid, Gabriel. I'm going to talk to my father right now. Until then, try and finish that water bottle, and see if you can find out anything about where you are. If anyone comes into the room, try and escape, but be smart about it._

 _Way ahead of you,_ Gabriel replies. Sam pulls himself to his feet and exits his room, listening intently for any sign of his father. Usually John can be found in the backyard with Bobby, training the younger wolves or sparring with the older, but a quick look out a window in the hall reveals that the yard is empty.

He checks the kitchen, the living room, and then his parents' bedroom, finding all three spaces occupied but not with the wolf he's looking for.

"Why don't you check his study?" Mary suggests, looking up briefly from the book she's reading in her bed. "His phone rang not too long ago and he left to answer it."

Sam thanks her and power walks down the hall to the heavy oak door that guards John's private study. This is the one area in the house where it's explicitly forbidden to enter. Not that John's hiding anything, but, in his own words, "I'd like one room in this overcrowded house where I can go to bitch about you guys in peace." Said with the utmost fondness, of course.

Sam knocks on the door and waits, and a second later it opens to reveal John, looking tired but strangely happy.

"I just got a call from Zachariah's Alpha," he says before Sam can even open his mouth. "We think we know where Gabriel is."

Sam's eyes widen and he lets out a surprised huff even as his mouth pulls into a wide grin. "Are you serious? Where?" he asks quickly.

"According to Metatron," John says, ushering Sam into the room and closing the door behind him, "Svadilfari owns a house in the forest outside of town. It's the only place Metatron could think of where he might go."

"That close?" Sam asks, frowning. "I expected him to be somewhere obnoxiously far away."

"That's probably why he didn't go too far," John says. "He knew we most likely weren't going to expect him to stay so close."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Sam says, voice hardening. "Gabriel's awake and we know where he is, so let's go get him."

"Gabriel's awake?" John repeats, gaping, and Sam gives him a sheepish smile.

"Yes?" he says. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you. That's why I came in here, actually."

 _Tell John I said hi,_ Gabriel pipes up.

"Gabe says hi," Sam dutifully repeats. John runs a hand down his face.

"Okay, when we get back, we're going to have a talk about when it's important to share information," John says, pointing one finger at Sam. "For now, though, let's go rescue your mate."

* * *

 **So, Gabriel's awake (again) and the pack knows where he is! Rescuing him should be a piece of cake, right? Anyway, the next chapter is going to he Gabriel's POV, I think. Thanks for reading, guys, and don't be afraid to leave me a comment! Tell me what you liked, what you hated, what you think I could improve, it all fuels my writing, trust me.**


	6. Chapter 6

Gabriel manages to drink half the bottle of water in small sips but the chips are a lost cause. As soon as he opens the bag, he has to throw it to the other side of the couch to get the oily, salty smell away from his nose before he throws up.

His stomach feels empty and his head is pounding with the beginnings of a migraine, but aside from that and the residual ache throughout his entire body, he's not in too much pain. He wonders, as he wanders the aisles in the library, just how much morphine Svadilfari gave him. Well, whatever. As long as he's awake, lucid, and able to at least try and escape, he's not going to question it too much.

The library isn't as big as he'd first thought; it just seems that way because of how many books are crammed into the shelves. The room's actually rather small for a library, Gabriel finds. The ceiling is high but the uppermost few feet are a web of crisscrossing support beams, wooden and painted a colour that puts him in mind of log cabins. Actually, now that he thinks about it, that's probably where he is. It would certainly explain the large, old-fashioned fireplace he'd woken up next to and the fact that every piece of furniture he can see appears to be made out of wood.

"Okay, time to Sherlock Holmes this bitch," Gabriel mutters to himself. He navigates the shelves and finds that the back corner is occupied by an enormous wooden desk, absolutely spotless and devoid of any paper. Gabriel frowns and runs the tips of his fingers over the surface of the desk. "No dust," he mumbles. "This is regularly used but it's been cleared off."

The drawers, when he tugs them open, contain nothing but clean paper and… feather quills? He even finds a few inkwells. Sam did say that Greys can live a long time, but, damn, just how old is this wolf?

Gabriel slams the drawer shut and huffs, crossing his arms as he walks back through the shelves. His gaze wanders aimlessly across the books shoved unceremoniously into the shelves. Most of them are old-fashioned, leather bound—he supposes tomes would be the right word given how thick they are. Every so often he'll spot a modern paperback or hardcover, the spines brightly coloured compared to the mainly black and brown leather books.

Near the end of the shelf, however, his attention is grabbed by a quick flash of white. He pauses and looks up, tilting his head in confusion at the white book sitting innocently at the very top of the shelf, all by itself. Curiosity piqued, Gabriel runs back to the desk and pulls out the heavy chair sitting in front of it, incredibly glad that it has wheels.

He positions it right below the book and locks the wheels before climbing up. Carefully, he stretches his arm and just barely manages to slide the book out of its spot. Allowing himself a small smirk of victory, Gabriel hops off the chair, landing heavily and with a curse as his legs nearly give out and send him to the floor.

"Right," he says, clutching onto the shelf for support. "I'm severely ill."

He doesn't look at the book in his hand until he flops back onto the couch near the fireplace, tired despite not having done much. His legs ache like hell and his headache is getting worse, and he thinks the morphine might be wearing off. He does his best to ignore the pain, knowing that if he gave in to it Sam would find out through the Bond.

Instead, he focuses on the book, that's actually more of a journal, now that he's paying attention. It's leather, like most of the other books, and appears to be just as old. The cover is cracked and stained in some places, and the small length of string holding it shut is frayed and dirty. Opening it releases a cloud of dust that causes him to sneeze, which in turn makes him gasp as sharp pain shoots through his chest.

Yeah, the morphine is definitely wearing off.

But something tells him that this journal is important, so he pushes his pain to the back of his mind and settles down to read.

 _The Journal of Gavril and Rachel_ is the title, written in big, blocky letters on the inside of the front cover. The ink has long since faded away, but the imprint of the letters is still embedded in the leather. On the next page, however, the handwriting is different. It's smaller and harder to read, somewhere between messy cursive and calligraphy, and the difference is so severe that Gabriel instantly knows the title was written by someone else.

Svadilfari probably added the title, but if he read this journal enough to do that, why would it be on the top shelf, covered in dust? Gabriel runs the tip of his finger through the dust on the page, frowning as he inspects it.

"These are pencil shavings," he says to himself, "But there aren't any pencil marks, so he put them here on purpose." But why?

 _I met my true mate today,_ Gabriel reads on the first page, and _oh._ That's why. There's something significant to the journal, something about true mates, that Svadilfari doesn't want Gabriel to find out.

"But that's exactly what I intend to do, buttface," Gabriel says viciously. He settles himself deeper into the couch, only to jump nearly out of his skin when the door bursts open. The book, small enough to fit into one hand, is quickly shoved in between the couch cushions.

Gabriel hisses in pain as he pulls himself off of the couch and to his feet, glaring at the space between two shelves where he thinks Svadilfari will appear.

"Oh," says a voice, undeniably masculine but not as deep as Dean's or John's. "You're awake."

Well, shit.

Svadilfari, in all his average-sized, kind-faced glory, is holding a syringe and a small bottle half-full of clear liquid. He looks, for all intents and purposes, like someone who'd work in a bookstore, or maybe at a Starbucks; somewhere where he'd be hired simply because of how friendly he is and how high the customer service rating would go with him on the staff.

Gabriel is instantly on edge. Something inside him—reacts, narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth in a parody of a smile that he can only call a snarl. He didn't consciously decide to, but at the same time _he did_ and oh _shit_ that's his goddamned _wolf, what the fuck._

Svadilfari pauses and gives Gabriel a bemused smile, as if he hasn't already kidnapped him from a hospital and is about to drug him out of his mind. Gabriel finds it easy to let his wolf take over, more or less, instinctively stepping behind the couch, seeking any illusion of shelter he can get. The bookshelves would make pretty good shelter, too, for a while, but Gabriel's stomach is really starting to hurt and he doesn't think he'd be able to make it before Svadilfari caught him, anyway.

"There's no need to growl," Svadilfari says, and Gabriel blinks, cutting off a growl that he hadn't even realised was escaping his throat. The sound echoes for a second, deep and menacing in a way Gabriel never thought his voice could be, but the moment of retrospection is ruined by Svadilfari. "That's better," he says, continuing towards Gabriel, who backs away until his back hits the wall.

He remembers too late that running from a predator only encourages it to chase.

"What do you want with me?" he demands, his voice coming out steady despite the birdlike pulse pounding under his skin and the adrenaline flooding his system.

Svadilfari frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you kidnap me?" Gabriel asks, confidence growing as he's not attacked. He eyes the bottle in Svadilfari's hands with wariness and a little longing.

 _Gabe, you got really panicked all of a sudden. Are you okay?_

"Kidnap is a strong word," Svadilfari says. His shoulder relax a bit underneath his unassuming grey t-shirt and he even smiles a little as he fills the syringe, carefully eyeing the needle to make sure he has the right amount. "I prefer the term 'liberate'."

 _I am most definitely not okay, oh my god, this crazy bastard thinks he saved me from something._

 _He's there with you? Okay, don't do anything to provoke him. We think we know where you are and we're on our way, but it'll take us a little while to get there. Try not to die until then._

The tone is casual but Gabriel can feel the seriousness of the words, how desperate Sam is to get him back safe. It reminds him that Sam's life is on the line as much as his own; if something should happen to him, he has no doubt Sam would do something drastic like kill himself. Well, maybe drastic to the Gabriel from a few weeks ago. Now, though, he'd most likely do the same if something ever happened to Sam.

Gabriel releases a breath and forcibly calms himself down, standing from the slightly crouched posture he'd taken and unclenching his fists. Svadilfari's eyes narrow the slightest bit but he makes no other signs that he's noticed the change in Gabriel, instead choosing to continue looking at him with a vial in one hand and a needle poised like a weapon in the other.

"Liberate?" Gabriel repeats, voice forced-casual and tinged with slight curiosity. Never has he been more glad of all the school plays he has under his belt than now. "Liberate me from what?"

"From a pup who'd claim you as his mate," the other wolf says, lip curling and pale green eyes flashing with annoyance. "He's too young to know what that entails."

"And I suppose you're old enough to know the responsibility?" Gabriel says wryly. Without giving Svadilfari a chance to answer, he says, "I'm the same age as Sam. If he's too young to have a mate, then so am I."

"True mates can find each other regardless of age," is the answer.

"Well, that explains why Sam and I have such a close Bond," Gabriel says, eyes wide with fake innocence that just barely conceals his irritation. Now that he's reasonably sure Svadilfari isn't going to attack him, his fear has given way to anger. He's still wary, of course, but it's wariness almost overshadowed by near-fury.

Svadilfari snarls, eyes flaring bright green and nails scraping against the vial hard enough to draw a screeching sound that makes Gabriel flinch.

"He is not your mate!" the older wolf growls, voice guttural and filled with anger. "Or if he is, he won't be for long. As soon as you are healed, we'll perform the Blood Rites, and any connection you might have will be severed."

Gabriel's mouth falls open in shock and he lets out an indignant noise. Before he can voice his complaints, however, Svadilfari is before him, having moved too fast for him to react. With inhuman strength, he grips Gabriel's wrist and positions the needle above the inside of his elbow, forgetting in his haste that Gabriel is a Grey wolf, too.

Gabriel snarls and, acting completely on instinct, kicks Svadilfari in the gut so hard that he actually flips backwards over the couch and lands in a heap on the floor. Heart in his throat, Gabriel dashes to the fallen wolf, grabs the needle from his hand, and jabs it into his arm before he can react. Svadilfari growls and yanks the needle out, accidentally depressing the syringe halfway in his haste.

Gabriel allows himself a brief smirk before he turns and runs back the way Svadilfari came, towards the thankfully open door. He dashes through and slams it shut just as the other Grey slams into it, letting out a loud snarl. Gabriel turns the heavy deadbolt and frantically looks around for something he can use to block the door. A heavy coffee table is quickly dragged in front of the door, and anything that Gabriel can easily lift is soon placed on top.

The door is shaking from the force Svadilfari is using to try and break it down, the pounding noise blocking out whatever furious words he's screaming. Gabriel, panting and in pain and thrumming with adrenaline, briefly scans the room he's found himself in.

He ignores the furniture, noting instead that the windows have bars over them and the door leading to the outside is shut and padlocked. His wolf urges him to shift in case he needs to fight, but Gabriel resists, unsure of what that will do to his body. Now that the morphine has more or less worn off, he can feel every bit of pain that was absent before, from the pounding in his head to the writhing of his stomach to the full-body ache that nearly prevents him from moving.

He heads first to the door, yanking futilely on the padlock and cursing in frustration when it doesn't give. There's nothing he can use to pick the lock, and it's not like he'd know how even if he had something, so he tries to take a more Svadilfari-esque approach and attempts to kick the door down.

It's heavy and wooden, like everything else in this godforsaken cabin, but it has a very satisfying give when Gabriel's shoe connects with it. He figures that his wolf is helping him out a lot because there's no way he has that much strength naturally. Still, the door doesn't crack and Gabriel finds himself just as trapped as he'd been before.

Worse than before, even, because now Svadilfari knows he's awake and is trying to kill him.

" _GABRIEL! OPEN THIS DOOR!"_

Gabriel's mouth falls open in indignation at the commanding tone Svadilfari's using. He recognises what Sam refers to as the "Alpha voice" and both Gabriel and his wolf bristle angrily at the outright impudence. The power Svadilfari pushes into the command rolls off of Gabriel with only a little push from his own mind. It's almost like using the Bond that he has with Sam, he finds; the same principle as pushing a thought to his mate, except instead of a thought it's an emotion or a want, a command in feelings instead of words.

Gabriel pushes and abruptly the banging on the door stops. He grins; he can practically hear Svadilfari's jaw hitting the floor.

"I'm an Alpha, you goddamn tool," Gabriel says. His terror turns to exhilaration. He has power over Svadilfari; maybe not enough control over it to make him follow his every command, but in a battle of wills Gabriel is fairly confident that he'd be able to hold his own, at least. "How do I get out of here?"

Svadilfari doesn't answer, and something in Gabriel tells him to start with a less complex question.

"Where's the key to the front door?" he asks instead, adding as much push to the words as he can. He blinks when he feels—something swell into the room, making the air hot and thick. It should be uncomfortable, but it only serves to make the animalistic part of him practically purr happily.

Svadilfari snarls loudly before answering. " _In my pocket!"_ he spits, fury nearly palpable in his words. Gabriel blanches, every fibre of his being telling him that it's a _very bad idea_ to go back into that library. But he needs the key, he reasons, and besides, he's more dominant than Svadilfari; as long as he keeps pushing down on the other wolf so he can't phase, it should be fine, right?

Right. Of course. Gabriel nods decisively to himself and, ignoring the pain and the fear and the instinct screaming at him not to, he pushes aside the coffee table, unlocks the door, and steps inside.

Svadilfari retreats as soon as Gabriel steps over the threshold, eyes glowing bright green as he snarls and spits curses. Gabriel looks at him and his wolf is pleased when the other Grey looks down after trying and failing to hold his gaze. Smirking even though his heart is beating so fast he's sure Svadilfari can hear it, Gabriel heads to the couch and extracts the journal.

"Where did you find that?" Svadilfari asks, eyes tracking the book like it's his child as Gabriel cautiously walks over to him.

"Stay still," Gabriel warns, hand hovering a little in front of him. Svadilfari sneers, and Gabriel takes that as his cue to start searching his pockets. "I found it where you left it, of course. What's so special about this journal anyway?" There is no push behind the words and so Gabriel doesn't get an answer; well, he gets a snarl, but he's not going to count that since Svadilfari's been snarling practically nonstop for the last ten minutes.

There's a small brass key in his back pocket and Gabriel shivers with disgust at having to touch a wolf who's not his mate. Once he has the key, he quickly shoves it into his own pocket and wipes his hand on his shirt as if he can wipe off the Svadilfari smell no doubt clinging to his hand.

Gabriel releases a small breath and allows himself a tiny smirk that has Svadilfari literally snapping his teeth. At this rate, it won't be long before he's foaming at the mouth with anger, so Gabriel backs away from him, towards the door, knowing better than to turn his back to a predator.

" _Ah!_ " Gabriel gasps, pausing and hunching over halfway to the door as a sudden wave of sharp pain rushes through him. His eyes close of their own accord and for a moment, he's incapable of doing anything other than trying to breathe. It passes quickly, but that split second of distraction was all Svadilfari needed to break free of Gabriel's dominance.

A loud ripping sound and a deeper, more threatening growl than before alert Gabriel that Svadilfari's phased, which means that he'll be much harder to control. Gabriel doesn't think he has the strength to pull that off, especially not with the way his stomach is twisting in on itself and his arms and legs are beginning to throb. He doesn't look back, but steadies his nerves and then bolts for the library door once more. Svadilfari is faster in his wolf form, but Gabriel is desperate, and it grants him the speed he needs to get out the door and slam it shut before the wolf can catch him.

He immediately pulls the key from his pocket and replaces it with the journal as he heads to the front door. His hands are shaking but he inserts the key into the padlock in one easy movement, twisting it and opening the door just as Svadilfari's big paws somehow manage to open the library door.

Gabriel, compelled by some morbid curiosity he didn't know he possessed, turns. Svadilfari isn't a huge wolf—he's smaller than both Sam and Dean, and, if memory serves, it looks as though he'd be about the same size as Ash's wolf—but he's the most terrifying wolf Gabriel's ever seen.

His lips, drawn all the way back from his sharp fangs, are coated with white, frothy saliva, and a steady, high-pitched growl issues forth from his throat. The whites of his eyes are visible around the green irises, which flick from Gabriel's feet to his chest to his head and back again restlessly. His wolf is clearly rabid and Gabriel shivers, suddenly understanding just what had felt so off about him.

Their eyes meet and for a moment, it's as if the very air is still, waiting for either one of them to make a move. Then Svadilfari snarls and charges, and Gabriel pulls out the journal, clamps down onto it with his teeth, and runs out the front door.

He's a wolf before he even hits the top step, instinct taking over and urging him farther, faster, _away_ even as his stomach starts doing painful flips and everything starts to spin. Gabriel runs, noting absently that they're surrounded on all sides by dense forest.

His fur will stand out like a beacon among the bright green and dark brown of the trees and underbrush, but he doesn't have to hide. All he has to do is outrun his pursuer until help arrives, which shouldn't be too hard; wolves are built for running and Gabriel has the added benefit of adrenaline from having to run for his life, and Svadilfari should be at least a little hampered by whatever morphine managed to get into his system.

Head pounding, stomach churning, and entire body aching, Gabriel runs faster than he's ever run in his life and sends out a terrified plea to the one he knows is always listening.

 _Sam!_

* * *

 **I have no words except sorry.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update, but life's been kicking my butt and I've been trying to take it easy lately. Anyway, I don't know how I feel about this chapter. I feel like I could've done better but it's late as hell and I'm too tired to care.**

* * *

John has the pack ready and mobilised within twenty minutes. He allows Ash and Jo to come, this time, since of all the wolves in the pack they have two of the best noses despite their youth and inexperience. The group chosen to go is small; only John, Bobby, Sam, Dean, Charlie, Jo, Ash, and Jody are coming, with the others staying behind in case Metatron's pack tries anything.

Chuck is also coming along. Sam, when he'd called him to let him know the plan, hadn't even tried to dissuade him. They'd both agreed on keeping Castiel out of it. He knows what's going on, but he's not leaving the house; Chuck talked to Cas' parents, who'd basically put their son under house arrest until they hear from John that everything's okay.

Half an hour after John gets the call, they're on the freeway that leads out of town. The exit that'll take them to the forest, a registered camping spot that's popular with tourists in the warmer months, is a good few miles ahead, and it'll take them a little while to get there. Sam, so far, has focused most of his attention on other things, like loading and packing his rifle and ensuring that his mate's best friend won't sneak out to come help and accidentally get himself killed.

Now, with nothing to do but anxiously bounce his leg and silently will the car to go faster, Sam reaches out once more to Gabriel. His presence has been a comforting one in the back of Sam's mind since he woke up, but they haven't really "talked" much since that first conversation.

 _Gabe, are you okay?_ he asks, but there's no answer. Confused, Sam tries again. _Gabriel?_

Still no reply, and Sam starts to worry. He probes at his Bond, frowning when he encounters a mental block. Gabriel must have put it there, but why?

"Dad," Sam says quietly. John glances at him briefly and hums inquisitively. "Gabriel's blocking me."

The already quiet car goes completely silent.

"Hold on," John orders. Sam barely has time to grab onto the dashboard before they all lurch backwards, pressed into their seats by the sudden speed of the car. He ignores how his shoulder slams into the window whenever John swerves around another car and instead focuses on picking apart Gabriel's block.

It's a lot better than the first one he'd tried, so long ago in that little hospital room. Whereas that one was more of a picket fence, this block is a concrete wall reinforced with razor wire. It's solid and sturdy and Sam knows it'll take a lot of time and concentration to break it down, neither of which he can afford right now.

Still, something seems… off about the wall. Every so often a stray thought or feeling will drift through to Sam, almost as if Gabriel's not really trying to block his thoughts. And yet, there's a huge, hulking mass of willpower preventing Sam from getting a decent read on his mate. A thought occurs to him.

"Dad, can you put up a mental block without trying?" he asks. John doesn't take his eyes off the road (he's currently swerving around one car and in between two others, so Sam's incredibly glad about that) but he frowns thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure," he says, voice the slightest bit strained. "It sounds like it could be possible, but I've never heard of anyone doing it."

"I have," Jody says from the back, voice uncharacteristically subdued. Sam turns to look at her, almost falling out of his seat as the car suddenly swerves, and notes the way her mouth is set in a tight line and her knuckles are white where they're gripping the back of his seat. She looks up at him, her brown eyes dull with pain. "My mate did it once, right before he died," she says, and Sam exhales sharply.

Dean reaches out to grab one of her hands and squeeze it tight, while Sam faces forward again and closes his eyes.

"This is our exit," John says, and with that insufficient warning he jerks the wheel and spins into the turn, cutting off three cars and narrowly avoiding a collision with a motorbike. Once they get off the freeway, they find themselves speeding down a two-lane road through a quickly thickening forest.

Once they're deep enough, John slows down and carefully turns off the main road, following some barely-beaten path until they reach a clearing far away enough from the road that they can no longer hear cars.

They pile out of the car and immediately head for the trunk, where John's stored all their weapons underneath a false bottom. Jody quickly arms herself with her pistol and a machete, which she straps to her hip.

"Anyone been in contact with the others?" she asks as she checks the pistol's magazine.

"Charlie just texted," Dean replies. "They got left behind when Dad sped up but they'll be here soon."

"What now?" Sam asks. He's practically vibrating in place with the need to phase and start searching. The only reason he's still human is because he's too focused on breaking down Gabriel's mental block.

John narrows his eyes and looks back the way they came, then off into the woods. "We need to wait for the others. Dean, how long until they arrive?"

Dean fishes out his phone and taps the screen a few times. "She said they're pulling off the road now, so they'll be here in five."

"Okay, go ahead and phase. You, too, Sam, but don't go anywhere until I say so." He levels his son with a stern glare, only letting up when Sam nods. Chuck's car skids to a stop in the clearing a few minutes later, with several new scratches on the sides and tiny dents in the bumper. Sam, Dean, and John have already phased and are all pacing around impatiently, though they stop and stand at canine attention when the others arrive.

Chuck is the first one out, already armed to the teeth with knives and guns. Sam hasn't seen him since the last time he'd come over to the pack mansion, and he's surprised at how different he looks. Chuck's kind eyes are hard and steely and his usual jeans and t-shirt have been replaced with cargo pants and combat boots. Sam remembers, suddenly, that Chuck is a hunter, and likely has been since before he was even born.

Jo, Ash, and Charlie strip and phase as soon as the car door opens, while Bobby grabs his gear from the trunk.

"Alright," he says, taking charge since John can't talk. "Ash and Jo, you'll each lead a team of three in different directions to find Gabriel, Svadilfari, or the cabin. Chuck, Jody, and I are going to head back to the road and see if we can't find another path that'll lead to a campgrounds or something."

"Everyone good?" Jody asks. A cacophony of yips answers her. "Alright, then head out. And don't come back until you find our packmate!"

Ash lets out an excited bark and immediately rushes off into the trees. Charlie and Sam follow him, leaving Jo, Dean, and John to search in the other direction. Despite the urgency of the situation, Ash has to slow down in order to scent properly, though until he actually finds something they're basically just running around blind.

Sam and Charlie fan out to either side of him, all three of them hunting for a scent or a sound, anything to give them an idea of where Gabe could be. Sam lets his wolf take over the tracking, focusing his human mind on knocking down the mental block in his mind. It seems like it'll be easy to dismantle, but no matter how much he pushes and prods, it won't come undone.

His frustration grows the longer they look, running aimlessly around the forest without finding a lead. Charlie trots up to him and noses at his shoulder reassuringly, and he snarls at her until she backs off, tail and ears down and belly low to the ground in submission. He feels a little bad but can't be bothered to apologise, not when his skin is still crawling from where she touched him. As agitated as he is, only Gabriel's touch can calm him down; anyone else will just make it worse.

A few yards ahead, Ash barks sharply and Sam dashes to his side, Charlie hot on his heels. Ash noses around a faint paw print pressed into a small patch of soft ground. The scent is very, very faint, washed away by the wind and the pine scent surrounding them, but after a few moments Sam picks up a very familiar smell.

 _Gabriel's been here._

Sam growls low in his throat, but stop abruptly when he feels the mental wall suddenly fall away.

 _Sam!_ Gabriel calls, his voice filled with fear and pain, and Sam growls again.

 _Gabriel! Are you okay? Why were you blocking me? What's happening?_

 _Sam, shut up for a second,_ Gabriel says sternly. _I'm in the forest outside of Svadilfari's cabin._

 _You escaped?_ Sam says, shocked.

 _Your faith in me is astounding,_ Gabriel says dryly. _But could you hurry up and find me? Svadilfari's chasing me and the morphine he gave me is wearing off, so I don't think I'll be able to run for much longer._

Sam pushes at the Bond and flinches when he feels Gabriel's exhaustion and pain. He also learns that Gabriel's in his wolf form, which gives him an idea. Standing up straight from where he was crouched by the pawprint, Sam draws in a deep breath, throws his head back, and howls, as loud and for as long as he can.

The entire forest is silent after he finishes; not even a breeze stirs the trees. A few seconds pass and Sam's about to explain to Gabriel what the howl was for when another howl splits the air. The voice is one he's never heard before, and yet it's just as familiar to him as Gabriel's human voice.

Sam listens intently, trying to pinpoint where his mate is judging by the sound, and as soon as he has a general idea he's off. Charlie follows close behind him while Ash pauses to let loose a howl of his own. The answer comes in a voice that's unmistakably Jo's, which means that the other three wolves are on their way.

Gabriel howls again and Sam veers left, heading towards the sound. The two groups of wolves meet up soon, and Sam hears them before he sees them. He catches a glimpse of Jo's blonde pelt streaking to his left, and flashes of John's black pelt are clearly visible running up ahead of him.

 _Gabriel?_ Sam calls.

 _He left,_ Gabriel replies. He sounds totally exhausted, but from what Sam can tell, he's still running. _I think he freaked out when he heard that I wasn't alone._

 _Really? That's great! Where are you?_

 _I honestly have no idea, I'm just running towards where I heard you guys last._

 _Okay, just follow my voice,_ Sam says, slowing down to a trot and then stopping completely. The rest of his packmates stop with him, pacing around him and growling with anxiety. Sam ignores them and tips his head back, letting out a loud, long howl.

When he runs out of breath, he simply pauses for a moment and then begins again. Charlie is the first to join him, then Dean, and soon all six of them are howling and barking madly. Sam feels Gabriel's excitement through the Bond when he hears them and can tell that he's getting closer, but he's still entirely unprepared for the small golden-brown wolf that bursts from the bushes and tackles him to the ground a few minutes later.

Sam's howl cuts off abruptly and turns into an excited whine. He pulls himself up and pushes Gabriel off of him, tail wagging like crazy and excited whimpers spilling from his throat. Gabriel barks happily and pushes his face into Sam's neck, practically vibrating with the force of his happiness.

The other wolves give them only a few moments to themselves before swarming them, tripping over themselves in their haste to greet Gabriel. Ash and Jo pounce on him much as he'd just done to Sam, John nips his shoulder affectionately, and Dean and Charlie both press themselves against his sides.

Gabriel, for his part, endures the attention for only a few moments before bounding back to Sam and pressing up against him with a deep sigh of contentment. Sam's ears twitch when a low rumble crawls its way up his throat.

 _Gabe, are you purring?_ he teases. Gabriel growls playfully and reaches up to bat him on the nose with one large paw.

 _I'm not purring, I'm rumbling,_ Gabriel says self-importantly. He pulls back just enough to look Sam in the eyes, and the latter takes a moment to admire his mate's wolf.

Gabriel's smaller than Sam but still larger than regular wolves, with the same overlarge paws and ears that all teenage Greys have. His coat is mostly a uniform golden colour, a little darker on his back and shoulders and lightening to an almost blond on his underbelly. In the awkward teenage phase that Sam and most of the pack is going through, he's more adorable than handsome, but Sam can tell that he's going to grow up to be very majestic.

John woofs softly to get everyone's attention, then turns and begins padding away into the underbrush. Ash, Jo, and Charlie immediately follow, but Dean lingers a bit so that he and Sam can sandwich Gabriel between them as they walk. Sam, and especially Sam's wolf, feel a rush of gratitude towards his brother, as Gabriel's walking like he's going to pass out at any moment.

 _Gabriel?_ Sam says. _What's wrong? And don't give me some smartass answer, I want specifics._

Gabriel growls, the sound weak and exhausted. _I'm just tired,_ he says. _And everything hurts, and I think I might actually throw up soon. Did Raphael ever find that cure?_

 _I'm not sure,_ Sam says worriedly, nudging Gabriel's shoulder with his own. The brief touch helps relieve a little of the stress carried in both of their shoulders. _I hope so, otherwise we might need to have a talk with him about time management._

The joke draws an amused huff from Gabriel, not as much as Sam was hoping for but better than nothing given the circumstances. John sets a fast pace back towards where the cars are parked. Their desperate run through the forest to find Gabriel had put a lot of distance between them and their human packmates, and it takes them a good half an hour of walking to get back.

Gabriel looks about dead on his feet by the time the greenery of the forest is broken by black rubber and metallic paint. Sam can tell that he's blocking his pain at least a little bit, and while he can understand the reasoning he'd much rather suffer alongside his mate.

John phases back first and changes quickly into the clothes Bobby hands him. Jody passes out shirts and pants to the others, while Chuck immediately rushes to his son.

"Gabriel!" he says, discarding his gun so he can wrap his arms around Gabe's neck. Gabriel looks up at the sound of his father's voice, though his ears are still dropping and his tail only gives a single tired wag. "Jesus, you're enormous!" Chuck laughs, pressing his forehead against Gabriel's.

"Sam," John says, drawing Sam's attention to his father. "I need you to phase back. I have Raphael on the phone and he says he's figured out how to help Gabriel."

Sam looks over at his brother, who has his phone pressed against his ear and is nodding every few seconds, completely unconcerned with his nudity. He looks up and meets Sam's eyes, circling one finger through the air to tell him to hurry up.

John hands Sam something to change into once he's human again, and Sam barely stands still long enough to pull his legs into the sweatpants before he dashes to Dean and holds his hand out for the phone. Dean hands it over without protest, watching with worried eyes as Sam bites his lip anxiously.

"Raphael?" he says by way of greeting.

"He needs blood," the doctor says, straightforward as ever. "Your blood, specifically. Have him bite you like you'll do during the Blood Rites."

"And that'll cure him?" Sam asks.

"You'll probably have to do it every day for a few months until the foreign human blood cells in his body have died," Raphael replies. "It may take less time but it might take more, I'm not sure."

"It doesn't say in the medical record you found?"

There's a long pause. Sam looks anxiously at his mate as he waits for Raphael to say something; Gabriel is lying down with his head resting in Chuck's lap, not even twitching when Dean kneels next to him and gives Chuck a worried look.

"The record—Zachariah had it, by the way, I found it in his office—is from farther back than I thought," Raphael finally says. "The patient was admitted to the hospital a few decades ago. His name was Gavril but he refused to give a last name. The head neurosurgeon was a Grey and had a lot of sway, so the hospital administration let it slide."

"What happened?" Sam asks.

"Gavril was there for a few days before his mate found him. It took a few days of drinking her blood until he woke up, but within two weeks he was well enough to be discharged."

Sam is quiet for a moment as he absorbs this. "Okay," he says at last. "Thank you, Raphael, for everything. I owe you big time."

"No, you don't, Sam," Raphael says, sounding oddly hesitant. "That's what pack is for, right?" Before Sam can respond, he hangs up. Sam pulls the phone away from his ear and looks at it in shock for a second, then pockets it and heads to his father.

John is trying to get his packmates to give Gabriel some space. Sam knows it must be going against every tactile Grey wolf instinct he has, but he's grateful all the same.

"Dad," he calls. "I know how to cure Gabriel, but I can't do it here and I can't do it while he's a wolf."

"Do you think he'll be able to phase on his own?" John asks. He sighs when Sam shakes his head. "I'll help him, though it'll probably be painful." Sam winces but makes no other sign that he heard that last part.

"Also, what are we going to do about Svadilfari? He's still loose and he still needs to be taken care of."

John hums thoughtfully and looks at the Greys anxiously milling around the clearing. He spots Bobby and motions him over.

"Sam, go keep Gabriel company and see if you can get any information about Svadilfari out of him," John instructs. Sam obeys, leaving just as Bobby walks over to them. He sits next to Chuck and places a hand on Gabriel's head, scratching him lightly behind the ears.

 _Gabriel?_

 _Hi, Sammy,_ is the soft response he gets. _I heard what you and your dad were talking about._

 _Okay?_

 _Svadilfari's rabid,_ Gabriel says, and Sam's mouth drops open in shock.

 _Are you sure?_

 _Completely. He was foaming at the mouth and looked twitchy as hell._

"Sam?" Dean says, frowning in concern at his brother. "What is it?"

"Svadilfari's rabid," Sam says quietly, but everyone in the clearing hears him anyway. All the wolves go silent and still, staring at Sam or each other in shock. The birds, alarmed by the sudden hush, quiet down, too, but after a few moments their songs fill the air again, sounding unnaturally loud in the suddenly tense air.

"You're positive?" Bobby demands.

"Gabriel is, and I trust him," Sam replies. "If he says that Svadilfari's rabid, then he's rabid."

Bobby curses and takes his hat off to run a hand through his hair. He looks at John, and the two of them share a long, meaningful look. Eventually John sighs harshly.

"Alright, here's the plan," he says loudly, though no one's spoken since the revelation about Svadilfari. "Sam, Chuck, and Jo, you three will take Gabriel home and find Raphael. Charlie and Ash, guard the road in case Svadilfari tries to make a run for it."

"What are you gonna do?" Dean asks.

"We," John replies, indicating himself, Dean, Bobby, and Jody, "are going to hunt down Svadilfari. The four of us should be able to handle him."

Sam growls at that, his lips pulling up to expose his blunt human teeth. "Svadilfari should be my fight," he protests. "It's _my_ mate he took."

"I know, Sam, but your mate needs you to be with him right now," John says sternly. "If we can, we'll bring Svadilfari back alive, but our first priority is to prevent him from doing this again. Got it?"

Sam scowls and looks away. "Got it."

"Good. Alright, everyone, get phased and get going. Dean and Jody, you'll take the west side of the forest. Bobby, give me a minute here and then we'll take the east."

The clearing erupts into action as people start shucking clothes and shoes, not even bothering to put them back into the car. Within moments, a handful of wolves are streaking away through the underbrush in all different directions, leaving Chuck, Sam, Jo, Gabriel and John alone. Jo respectfully wanders a few meters away to give them privacy.

"Now what?" Chuck asks quietly. John crouches down in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder and offering a tight smile.

"Now we get you guys out of here and back home," he says. "Sam, could you get me one of the blankets from the trunk?"

When Sam returns with the biggest, warmest blanket he could find, it's to find John helping Chuck pull himself from underneath Gabriel's considerable weight. Gabriel's eyes are completely shut and he doesn't react at all, and Sam bites his lip, hard. He carefully arranges the blanket around his mate, taking the time to run a hand gently between Gabriel's ears in an attempt to comfort them both.

John focuses his attention on Gabriel as soon as Sam steps back, and soon the still air is thick and hot. Sam easily shakes off the few tendrils of power trying to cling to him, refusing to take his eyes off of Gabriel for even a second. He winces in sympathy when Gabriel's eyes snap open and he lets out a loud, pained whine as he begins phasing. A moment later, a very exhausted and very naked Gabriel slips back into unconsciousness.

Sam immediately rushes forward and pulls him off the ground, wrapping him up in the blanket so that the only thing visible is his face and then lifting him easily. He releases a careful breath and doesn't look at anyone else as he begins walking to Chuck's car. Chuck is opening the back door for him before he's even at the car, for which Sam is grateful. He murmurs a quiet thank you and somehow manages to settle himself in the car with Gabriel curled up in his lap, all without hitting any body parts against the doorframe.

Jo emerges from the woods and gets into the passenger seat, turning around briefly to flash Sam a reassuring smile.

"Get home safe," John tells them through Chuck's window. "But get home fast. That phase couldn't have done him any favours."

Sam tightens his hold on his mate.

"We will," Chuck says determinedly. "Thank you."

John nods and backs away as the hunter twists the key in the ignition and pulls onto the path that'll take them back to the main road. Sam doesn't watch as the trees crawl by, gaining speed the thinner they get. He doesn't take his eyes off of Gabriel as they merge onto the highway, almost crashing into another car in their haste.

He keeps his eyes firmly on his mate, watching the shallow rise and fall of his chest and willing him to hold on.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time they get home, Sam is at the end of his rope and he can tell the others are, too. Gabriel woke up once on the drive back, and Chuck had to pull over quickly so that he could throw up on the side of the freeway. Sam's heart flipped painfully when he saw the obnoxiously red blood mixing with the bile.

Chuck's beat up old car kept making alarming noises the faster they drove, but that didn't deter any of them from urging it on faster. Sam nearly cries with relief when, as they pull into his driveway, he notices Raphael's minivan. The doctor must hear them pull up because he's there as soon as Sam opens his door.

"Status," he demands, his voice hard and detached as he carefully pulls Gabriel off of Sam's lap and lifts him into a bridal carry.

"He was phased for over half an hour," Sam says, following Raphael up the walkway. Chuck and Jo follow close behind. "He passed out before Dad phased him back, and he threw up blood while we were driving back."

Raphael's lips thin but he doesn't say anything else until they reach Sam's room. The rest of the pack trails behind, practically oozing worry and distress. All of them touch Sam at some point in an attempt to offer comfort; any other time, the attention would be welcome, but now it just feels oppressive. It takes everything in him to hold himself back from grabbing Gabriel, snarling at his packmates, and running away to find a secluded place to hide.

Raphael sets Gabriel down on Sam's bed and immediately turns, shooing everyone out forcefully. Mary growls at him but leaves, and the others follow her. Sam waits until the door is shut securely before quickly stripping off his shirt. He hesitates, unsure of what to do, and looks at Raphael for help, but the doctor isn't looking at him.

He's hovering over Gabriel, two fingers at his pulse and eyes locked on the digital clock on Sam's bedside table. His lips move soundlessly as he counts heartbeats, and when he's finished he furrows his eyebrows and exhales harshly.

"Sam," he says, "do you trust me?"

The question catches Sam off guard, but he only hesitates a moment before answering. "Yes," he says, surprised to find that it's completely true. Raphael's brown eyes briefly flash with the same emotion, but just as quickly as it arrived it's pushed aside by professional detachment.

"Good. Come here."

Being ordered around rubs Sam the wrong way but he obeys anyway, worry for his mate overpowering his annoyance for the moment. Raphael pushes him to sit on the edge of the bed, near where Gabriel's head is resting on a pillow. The doctor's eyes begin to glow brightly as his fangs and nails grow longer and sharper, but he waits until Sam gives him a tiny nod before moving towards him. Sam's not sure what's going on, but he holds still as Raphael approaches his neck, though he tenses until his back is ramrod straight.

He flinches, mostly from surprise, when one of the doctor's claws comes up and slices a deep cut at the juncture where his neck meets his shoulder. It's quick and efficient, nothing like how Sam's imagined the intimacy of the Bonding ceremony, for which he's grateful.

"Sorry for that," Raphael says, once more completely human. "But I didn't want to bite you, and if I'd warned you that whole thing would have taken a lot longer since your wolf would have fought against me."

"It's fine," Sam says, wincing when the shock wears off and his shoulder starts to sting. "What do we do now? Wait, where are you going?"

Raphael pauses at the door, one hand on the doorknob, and shoots a small, reassuring smile at Sam.

"I'm letting you two have privacy," he says. "I may be a doctor, but there are some things that no one is meant to see."

"But I don't know what to do," Sam protests.

"His instincts should take over when he smells the blood, but I'm sure you can figure out a way to help the process along," Raphael says. "It might take a few moments for anything to happen, though."

"What's going to happen?" Sam asks, but Raphael is already gone. The door closes with a soft click and Sam turns back to his mate. Gabriel's chest is barely moving and if Sam focuses, he can hear the thready, barely-there pulse thrumming underneath his skin. His resolve hardens and chases away and nervousness.

He hisses a little as he runs two fingers over the cut on his shoulder, both at the pain and the feeling of hot, sticky blood. Not giving himself time to be skeptical about Raphael's knowledge, he carefully holds his fingers below Gabriel's nose.

He watches Gabriel's eyes intently for any sign of waking up, and so he misses the way his nose twitches at the scent of blood. He almost rears back in surprise when golden eyes suddenly snap open, glowing and angry and filled with hunger. Quicker than Sam can react, Gabriel has his mouth around Sam's fingers. He growls deep in his throat as he licks the blood off, the sound cutting off abruptly when his eyes lock onto Sam's shoulder.

He reaches up and pushes Sam down so that he can straddle his waist, hands on his shoulders to keep him down. Sam's pulse jumps and begins beating faster, and Gabriel zeroes in on the way it makes blood spill from his neck. He locks eyes with Sam, something in his gaze softening as he cocks his head, almost like he's asking for permission. In reply, Sam closes his eyes and tilts his head, shivering at the growl it elicits from his mate.

He gasps in surprise when he feels Gabriel's fangs pierce his skin, directly over the cut Raphael made. The pain is intense for only a second before it fades into unbelievable pleasure. Sam's breath leaves him in a breathy sigh and he instinctively tilts his head further, giving Gabriel more room to work with.

The feeling of blood being sucked out of him should feel invasive and wrong, but Sam's skin feels hot and his body is reacting in a way he'd only ever felt once before, oh so long ago on the night when he'd slept over at Gabriel's house. He can feel himself reacting: his skin flushing, his breathing speeding up, and his dick hardening, both from Gabriel sitting in his lap and the lips closed around his neck.

He feels intoxicated from all the sensations; his head feels light and his hands are losing their grip on Gabriel's waist. Before he can pass out, however, Gabriel abruptly pulls back. Sam hisses as fangs pull out of his sore skin, blinking stupidly as he waits for his brain to catch up with what's happening.

"Oh," he says intelligently, staring up at his mate with a no-doubt dazed expression on his face. Gabriel, his eyes back to their normal shade of brown and definitely more human, gives Sam an apologetic look. He licks a drop of blood off of his lip, his face flushed and his breaths coming in harsh pants, and the image does nothing to help Sam calm down.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asks, reaching out a hesitant hand. Sam grabs it with his own before it can make contact with his shoulder, twining their fingers together and pressing a kiss to the back of Gabriel's hand. "I'm so sorry, Sammy."

Sam frowns. "Don't be sorry," he says. "First of all, I should be the one apologising to you for basically forcing you to drink blood while you were unconscious. Secondly, it was necessary to save your life, and I would gladly give up anything to keep you safe. And besides, that was… incredible. Please don't ever apologise for that, because that was probably the hottest thing I've ever been a part of."

Gabriel laughs weakly and drops his head onto Sam's chest, sliding down until he's lying on top of his mate.

"You always know just what to say," he mumbles.

Sam doesn't reply, too busy pressing a kiss into Gabriel's hair.

"Gabriel?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm so happy you're safe."

"Me, too, Sammy," Gabriel says, bring his hand up to rest if on Sam's chest, right over his heart. His breathing evens out after only a few moments, and Sam realises just how late it actually is. It's closer to dawn than sunset at this point, well past midnight but still early enough to get a few hours before the sun comes up.

He carefully pulls his comforter out from under his butt and settles it over them. It isn't long before he, too, is asleep.

…

When he wakes up, it's to the smell of pancakes and the feeling of a warm body pressed all along his. He frowns in confusion before the events of yesterday rush back to him, and he lets out a shaky sigh, overwhelmed by both the joy at having Gabriel back and all the fear he'd been suppressing until now.

Gabriel shifts at Sam's suddenly racing heartbeat, reaching up to twine their fingers together, but doesn't wake. He probably won't wake up for at least a few more hours, given that it's—Sam turns his head and checks his clock, surprised to find that it's only about five in the morning.

Downstairs, there's a muffled crash and Sam chuckles quietly when multiple voice hiss for quiet all at once. He's curious as to why everyone is awake so early but doesn't want to leave Gabriel for even a second, even though he knows that his mate would be perfectly safe were he to go downstairs and get something to eat. In fact, if Gabriel were awake he'd probably be complaining of hunger right about now.

He looks down at Gabriel, who's still lying entirely on top of Sam with his ear pressed right above Sam's heart. Sam lets out a carefully controlled exhale, fighting down the urge to hug the shit out of his mate right now. A weird fuzzy feeling makes his heart do a little backflip in his chest and Gabriel shifts again, the tiniest frown appearing on his lips.

Alright, enough is enough, Sam decides, and he gently pulls himself out from under his mate before his traitorous heart actually does wake him up. His first order of business, he decides, is a shower. Peeling off his sweaty, bloodstained shirt, he grimaces and throws it into his trash bin rather than his hamper. He gathers a clean shirt and a pair of questionably clean jeans, then hurries to the bathroom.

He doesn't notice until after his shower that his shoulder is no longer bare. The cut, when he inspects it while towel drying his hair, is long gone, as he'd expected. The bite marks, however, are not. Two circular marks, each about the size of the eraser at the end of a pencil, stand out against his skin like a scar.

Tentatively, he reaches up and runs his fingertips over them. The skin is smooth despite the marks, and they don't hurt, and once he's over that he takes a moment to consider the implications of them.

"Oh my god," he blurts, eyes wide. "We started the Blood Rites."

Downstairs, Raphael cackles.

…

It takes a few days for Gabriel to completely recover. He spends most of this time sleeping on Sam's bed, but at least once every day he goes downstairs to hang with the rest of the pack. Sam wonders if it's a conscious or subconscious thing, the way Gabriel seeks out comfort from surrounding himself by pack, but he never asks.

Chuck doesn't leave the mansion, not that anyone's complaining about that. Surprisingly, he doesn't hover around Gabriel, but he rarely lets him out of his sight and he's always available whenever Gabriel seeks him out. When Castiel eventually comes over, on the other hand, he's rarely ever an arm's length from his friend and glares at everyone whenever Gabriel so much as winces.

It both amuses, gratifies, and annoys Sam all at once, though he can't say the same for Dean when it comes to the more negative emotions. Just as Sam's never far from Gabriel, Dean's never far from Cas, supposedly because watching Cas and Gabe interact is entertaining. Sam sees the looks his brother gives Castiel, though, and he's pretty sure Dean finds him more than just entertaining.

"It's not our place to do anything," Gabriel tells him decisively one evening. They're cuddled up on the couch in the living room, pretending to watch a movie while in reality they're spying hardcore on Cas and Dean. The two of them are engaged in a conversation filled with so much tension Sam's surprised neither of them have snapped and sexually assaulted the other yet.

"You're right," Sam replies.

"And I hate it," Gabriel hisses. "Sometimes I just want to lock them in a closet together and not let them out until they have sex, but the only way they'll get their heads out of their asses is on their own terms."

"Yup," Sam agrees easily. Gabriel gives him a suspicious look.

"Why aren't you concerned about their love life?" he asks. "You're such a gossipy old lady, you should be loving this."

Sam shrugs. "They'll figure it out eventually. Maybe sooner than they think."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabriel asks, but Sam just smiles and closes his eyes.

A little under a week after Gabriel starts regularly drinking Sam's blood, Raphael summons him to the hospital for a blood test. He asks for Gabriel to come alone, and so naturally half the pack go with him. Sam, Dean, Castiel, Chuck, Gabriel, John, Mary, Ellen, Bobby, and Jody all cram into three cars and head out the next day.

Raphael rolls his eyes when he sees them all but he doesn't kick them out, knowing that it'd be a lost cause. He leads them to a waiting room, where he makes everyone but Gabriel and Castiel (because he wants human blood to compare to Gabriel's) wait. Sam's leg doesn't stop bouncing anxiously the entire ten minutes they're gone.

He's the first one up when the three return, and the smug little smirk Gabriel adopts at Sam's protectiveness does more to reassure him than anything else just then.

"So?" he asks, looking between Gabriel and Raphael.

"So nothing," the doctor replies in his usual disinterested way. "Gabriel's not at risk of _dying_ anymore and his blood cell levels are stabilizing themselves on their own."

"Good," John sighs, voicing the relief of everyone in the room. Not that anyone was expecting any different, but the confirmation is more than welcome. Sam grins at Gabriel, but the smile he gets in return isn't as big as it normally is.

Frowning a little, he asks, _Gabe, are you okay?_

 _I'm fine, Sammy,_ Gabriel replies. _Just distracted, sorry._

 _What're you thinking about?_

Gabriel casts a surreptitious glance at where Raphael is talking to Cas, Dean, and Jody. Subtle it may be, but it doesn't go unnoticed by Sam.

 _It's not my place to tell,_ Gabriel says with an air of finality, and Sam drops it. If it was important, he knows Gabriel would tell him.

"Alright, guys, let's head out," John says, and the pack immediately heads to the door. Sam notices Raphael pull Cas aside and whisper something too low for anyone else to hear. Cas doesn't look all that worried so Sam isn't, either, but Dean looks like he's trying to bore holes in the doctor with just his gaze.

Sam and Gabriel share a look, and then they each grab one of Dean's arms as they pass by him, forcefully dragging him out the door.

"Hey!" he splutters, trying to twist out of their grasp.

"He'll be fine, Dean," Sam says.

"Yeah, so chill out with the glaring, maybe?" Gabriel adds.

"I wasn't glaring," Dean says defensively. "I just wanted to know what they were saying."

Sam rolls his eyes. They're well out of the waiting room now, and catching up to the rest of the pack quickly, so he and Gabriel let Dean go. He pouts and rubs at his arms but thankfully doesn't look back.

"Oh, please," Gabriel says. "It was _glaringly_ obvious that you were more than curious." Dean makes a disgusted sound and speeds up to walk with Mary and Ellen.

"Is whatever Raph told Cas what had you so distracted earlier?" Sam asks quietly.

"Always too smart for your own good," Gabriel replies, smiling softly. He reaches out to take Sam's hand, rubbing his thumb in soothing back and forth motions across Sam's skin once their fingers are entwined. "It's nothing bad, I promise, but Cas asked me not to tell anyone."

"I get it, Gabe," Sam says. "I won't bother him about it or anything."

Gabriel smiles up at him. "Thanks, Sammy," he says. Sam lifts their clasped hands so he can press a kiss to the back of Gabriel's, which makes him laugh at the sheer cheesiness.

"Anytime, love."

* * *

 **This is the penultimate chapter, guys! The next one might take me even longer than usual since it's going to be the longest chapter yet but there's a lot that's going to happen, so. Anyway, what did you guys think of this one? Comments are always appreciated and honestly make my day, so feel free to let me know what you loved, hated, or need to rant about.**


	9. Chapter 9

Much to everyone's surprise, it's Chuck who eventually brings up the incomplete Blood Rites.

A little over two weeks after they bring Gabriel home, they're all sitting in the large room that the pack calls the theater. It's more of an overstuffed living room, complete with mismatched chairs and loveseats scattered around in front of a huge flatscreen mounted on the wall.

Someone—most likely Ash, though he'll deny it fervently when asked—put up a fake wolf's head on a wooden mount next to the TV. Someone else—Charlie for sure, though she's an excellent liar and won't admit to anything—has slapped a Darth Vader helmet onto the wolf's head.

The film they've settled on tonight is some dumb romantic comedy that Sam finds repetitive and boring. Everyone is there, with the exceptions of Bobby and Ellen, who claimed they needed some alone time and went out. Ash slipped a sock into Bobby's pocket before they left. "To hang on the door of wherever you end up," he said, which earned him a slap upside the head and a thumbs-up from Jo.

Even Raphael is there, flipping quietly through a book and pretending that he's not paying attention, but Sam notices that his eyes aren't moving over the pages even as he flips them. It's into this relaxed and generally content atmosphere that Chuck quietly says to Gabriel, "So, have you been thinking about the Blood Rites at all?"

Gabriel immediately chokes on his hot chocolate and starts coughing as every eye in the room turns to them. Sam flushes and shares a surprised look with Gabriel, whose eyes are watering from having to swallow so quickly.

"Um," he says eloquently.

"Not really?" Sam finishes, voice much higher than usual. He clears his throat and blushes even darker when he notices that most of the pack is smirking at him. Dean is outright grinning, the traitor.

"Oh," Chuck says. He settles back into his seat and turns his attention back to the movie. "Well, no pressure then. I just thought that, you know, you'd at least consider it after everything that's happened."

Gabriel pointedly focuses his attention on the movie, sinking lower into the couch. Sam hears Dean snicker, followed almost immediately by a slap and a muffled yelp.

"Don't be mean," Cas admonishes quietly, though he has the familiar dry look on his face that means he's hiding a smile.

"Chuck's right, though," Raphael says, glancing up from his book and smirking the tiniest bit. "You're young, but it would be best for you to do the Rites as soon as possible."

 _They're ganging up on us,_ Gabriel says to Sam. _We've been betrayed._

"A Bonding would be so much fun!" Mary squeals, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

"The protection it would offer both of you, and the pack, would be appreciated," John adds.

"No one can get married until I find a dress!" Jo snarls, slamming her hand down on the coffee table.

"Ooh, let's go shopping!" Charlie says, and she and Jo quickly fall into a discussion about the benefits of sequins as opposed to lace on a gown.

"I would, of course, be best man," Dean says self-importantly.

"If we're doing this thing, I want to be in charge of the menu," Ellen says. "Ash, you'll be my sous chef?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Ash replies.

"Betrayal," Gabriel hisses quietly. Sam sighs and slides down until he's practically on the floor.

"Your father is playing us," he says.

"Like drums," Gabriel agrees.

"Oh, please," Chuck says. "If anything, it'd be like kazoos. You're not classy enough to be drums."

"Get wrecked," Ash says, cackling.

"Is it too late to be put up for adoption again?" Gabriel wonders.

…

Three days go by with no mention of the Blood Rites from anyone, but the seed has been sown and it isn't long before Sam and Gabriel give in and start seriously thinking about it. Since that first time Gabriel bit Sam, their Bond has gotten stronger but only on Gabriel's end. He now finds it easier to hear Sam's thoughts and break down any barriers Sam puts up, but the same can't be said about Sam when it comes to his mate.

"You know, the pack does have a lot of good points about the Rites," Gabriel says one night. They're in his house for the first time in a while, listening to Chuck muttering to himself as he prepares an overnight bag for his hunt the next day.

"They do," Sam says. "But like Raph said, we're still young."

Gabriel shifts to look at him, kicking a pillow off the bed in the process. "What exactly is making you hesitate on this?" he asks.

"I don't know," Sam says. "I guess it just feels weird to be talking about the Blood Rites when we haven't even finished high school yet."

"We dropped out of high school," Gabriel points out. "But I know what you mean. If you want to wait until we're older, then we can wait."

"What do you want to do?" Sam asks. "Wait a few years or do the Rites now?"

"Honestly, I don't care. The Blood Rites aren't going to majorly change anything, right?"

"Our lives will be connected, remember?" Sam says. "If one of us dies, the other will, as well."

"Forgot about that," Gabriel says, frowning. Then he shrugs. "Aside from that, the only change will be the strength of our Bond?"

"Right. It'll get stronger and everyone will be able to tell that we're mates just by our scents."

"Ooh, that could come in handy," Gabriel says. Sam tilts his head inquisitively, surprised when Gabriel blushes a little. "I may or may not be the jealous type," he says, and Sam lets out a huff of laughter.

"Why does that not surprise me," he says. Gabriel sticks his tongue out playfully, then squeals when Sam digs a finger into his side.

"There better not be any shenanigans going on in there," Chuck calls, his voice muffled.

"Define shenanigans," Gabriel calls back.

"At least wait until I'm asleep or something," Chuck complains, and Sam laughs.

"Gabriel, stop," he chides gently. They don't bring up the Blood Rites again that night.

…

"It's been so long since I've witnessed the Rites," Mary sighs wistfully. It's just her and Sam in the kitchen, both of them sweaty from their run. Gabriel moved out of the pack mansion a little over a week ago, after Raphael declared him officially healed, otherwise Sam knows he'd be sitting at the counter, ogling as Sam uses his shirt to wipe his face. "I bet you'd look dashing in white."

"Mom, this is coercion," Sam says, but he can't help but think of what it would be like. Mary's right, he would look good in white, and they can put Gabriel in red. Or maybe hunter green? Definitely some deep colour that'll bring out his eyes. But wait, why is he even considering this? He frowns and shakes himself out of his thoughts, ignoring the knowing smile on his mother's face.

…

Charlie's beating his ass at Mario Kart in the game room when she casually brings up the ceremony.

"I bought a dress a few days ago that I really want to wear, but it's too fancy for anything less than a wedding or something," she says too nonchalantly, twisting her controller and shooting past Sam almost absentmindedly.

Sam doesn't say anything, but he's surprised to find that instead of being irritated, he's actually starting to give in to the idea.

…

"It's not that I don't want to do the Blood Rites with him," Sam says worriedly, pacing back and forth across the floor. "Because I do, I really do. But don't you think we're a bit too young for this? What if we're rushing into this too early, and the marriage falls apart because we're too inexperienced and unused to each other?"

He pauses and runs a hand through his hair in agitation, turning to face his confidants with wide eyes.

"What do you guys think?" he asks.

"Sam, you and Gabriel are literally soul mates," Rufus deadpans. "The marriage won't fall apart, but honestly, I don't really care."

"Well, I think this is just pre-marriage jitters," Garth says sagely. "Every bride goes through them."

"I have a penis," Sam says.

"You can still be a bride even if you have a penis."

"Language, pups," Rufus says.

"I think you should talk this over with Gabriel," Garth continues, ignoring Rufus completely. "This is going to concern him, too. Besides, he's your mate; he'll want to hear all your concerns."

Sam sighs and forcibly releases the tension from his shoulders. "You're right," he says. "Thanks, Garth. When did you get so wise?"

"What can I say?" Garth shrugs and spreads his hands, smirking. "I'm just that good."

"How touching," Rufus says with absolutely no inflection in his voice. "Now get the hell out of my room."

…

"We need to talk," they say in unison, both of them just slightly out of breath from running all over the house trying to find each other.

"You guys can literally send thoughts directly to each other," Dean says, passing by with Cas in tow. "The past ten minutes of running have been completely unnecessary."

"I think it's romantic," Cas says, smiling softly at Dean. Dean immediately turns his back on Gabriel and Sam to face Castiel fully, a besotted smile making its way onto his face. Sam and Gabriel exchange unimpressed looks.

"Let's go—literally anywhere else," Gabriel says, taking Sam's hand and tugging him out of the room. "There's too much sap floating around."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean demands, but neither of them answer. Gabriel tugs them to Sam's room, and Sam feels a tiny spark of satisfied smugness at the fact that his mate is comfortable enough in his space to go right in without hesitating.

Gabriel lets go of Sam's hand once the door is closed and moves to the other side of the bed, a subconscious defensive gesture that makes Sam frown.

 _What's up?_ he asks, hoping that the intimacy of telepathy might help to reassure his mate.

Gabriel fiddles with a loose thread on Sam's coverlet, taking a careful breath in and refusing to meet Sam's eyes.

 _So I've been thinking about the Blood Rites,_ he says with forced nonchalance, perching on the edge of Sam's bed. _Your family can be very persuasive when they want to be, you know._

 _I know,_ Sam says wryly. _They've been bothering me about the Blood Rites ever since Chuck brought them up._

 _Bothering you?_ Gabriel frowns and abruptly meets Sam's gaze, his eyes serious in a way they rarely ever are. _So you want to wait to do the Blood Rites?_

Sam considers his answer carefully. Gabriel watches him with an unwavering gaze, his face carefully neutral and his thoughts blank.

"Like you said before," Sam says slowly, "I can wait if you want to."

"But do _you_ want to wait?" Gabriel presses.

"Do _you_?" Sam asks, and Gabriel sighs in frustration.

"We're going in circles," he says. "It's obvious that neither of us wants to pressure the other into anything, but Sam, I _really_ want to get werewolf married."

Sam blinks. "Oh," he says intelligently. "Me, too, actually."

Gabriel lets out a suspiciously relieved huff and tugs on Sam's hand until he sits.

"We were both straight A students in school," Gabriel says. "Why are we so dumb?"

"Because calculus is easy, unlike emotions," Sam replies, and Gabriel snorts.

…

"So Gabriel and I have been talking," Sam says at breakfast one morning. Mostly everyone is there, with the exceptions of Gabriel, Castiel, and Chuck. Even Raphael is there, though since he's unofficially moved in it's not a surprise to see him lurking around the house. He also makes surprisingly good omelettes, and Sam's mouth waters when the doctor slides one onto his plate.

"Thinking about what?" John asks. Sam carefully takes a bite of his food, briefly looking up to meet his mother's eyes.

"I would definitely look dashing in white," he says, and everyone jumps when Mary lets out a loud, happy squeal.

…

Bobby chokes on his beer and turns to Gabriel with an incredulous look on his face. Gabriel frowns defensively.

"What?" he says. "It was a legitimate question."

"It was a stupid question," Bobby retorts.

"What he means to say," Ellen interrupts, slapping a hand over her mate's mouth, "is that you're sixteen, Gabriel. You don't need to have a bachelor party. In fact, it would probably be illegal to let you do anything typically related to bachelor parties."

Gabriel pouts, and Sam doesn't even try to hide his smile.

…

"How important is lipstick to you, Dean?" Castiel asks, and Dean turns to look at him with an incredulous look on his face. Sam, who's walking ahead in between Charlie and Jo, pauses to watch the exchange.

"What," Dean says blankly.

"Monkeys," Cas elaborates. "They're very intelligent animals, and I don't think they deserve to have cosmetics tested on them."

A pretty red-headed woman with a name tag clipped onto her shirt chooses then to come over, probably hoping to sucker two clueless men into buying a bunch of things they don't need.

"Can I help you two find anything?" she asks sweetly, batting her eyelashes at Dean.

Castiel scowls and Sam exchanges an amused look with Charlie. She reaches out and tugs silently on Jo's sleeve, drawing her attention away from a shelf of nail polish and to the scene taking place.

"Oh, I'm not looking for anything," Dean says, flashing a charming grin at the woman. Sam nearly snorts when she practically swoons, both at her and at the murderous look on Castiel's face.

"Are you sure?" she purrs, sidling up to him and tilting her head up. "Maybe I could… persuade you. We have a lot of _fun stuff_ in the back."

Dean's eyes widen and he smiles awkwardly, looking distinctly uncomfortable like he always does when his flirting gets away from him, and Sam's about to step in but Cas gets there first.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find products that weren't tested on animals?" Castiel asks, loudly and snappily, and the woman turns to him with a slight frown on her face. She blanches under the force of Castiel's glare, and Sam thinks in amusement that Castiel would make a pretty good werewolf; he's already got the broody glare down pat.

"Ah, I don't think…" she says hesitantly.

"You don't have any?" Castiel guesses, and narrows his eyes when she shakes her head. "Then if you could kindly stop flirting with my friend, who's a minor, by the way, I think we're going to take our business elsewhere. There's one monkey too many running around in here for my tastes."

Ignoring the woman's outraged gasp and Dean's confused protests, Castiel grabs Dean by the wrist and quickly drags him out of the store. Jo and Charlie link arms and follow, sticking their noses into the air snootily when they pass by the woman. Sam takes immense pleasure in letting his wolf out a bit as he brings up the rear, grinning at her with glowing eyes and elongated teeth.

She squeaks in surprise and fear, and he laughs openly as he walks out of the shop.

 _Sammy, you tease,_ Gabriel says in his mind. Sam grins as he walks quickly to catch up with the others.

 _What can I say, I don't like it when people mess with what's mine._

 _Dean's yours?_ Gabriel asks teasingly.

 _The whole pack is mine,_ Sam replies. _Just like the rest of the pack and I are Dean's, and Mom and Dad's._

 _Is this an Alpha thing?_

' _Fraid so, Gabe._ He drops his voice down to a low purr. _Know who else is mine?_

He can practically feel the tiny shiver that elicits in his mate. _Who?_

Dropping the soft voice and using his preferred deadpan, Sam says, _Raphael. He's a part of the pack now, wouldn't you agree?_

Gabriel is silent for a few moments, during which Sam's smile only gets wider and wider.

 _You're mean,_ he says, a pout audible in his voice, and Sam bursts out laughing, ignoring the strange looks thrown his way.

…

 **Sam Winchester to jerk:**

 **I CAN'T THINK OF A GIFT**

 **jerk to Sam Winchester:**

 **its 3 in the mrning sammy this better b important**

 **Sam Winchester to jerk:**

 **I CAN'T FIND A GIFT FOR GABRIEL AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE BLOOD RITES IS THE GIFT**

 **jerk to Sam Winchester:**

 **y do u use perfect spelling and grammar even when ur having a freakout at 3 in the fucjkig morning**

 **Sam Winchester to jerk:**

 **DEAN**

 **DEAN THIS IS IMPORTANT I NEED ACTUAL HELP**

 **jerk to Sam Winchester**

 **idk man get him a marilyn monroe poster or smth**

 **hes a theater nerd they like that kind of stuff right?**

 **Sam Winchester to jerk**

 **That was probably the worst gift idea I've ever heard**

 **We're literally getting werewolf married and are going to be bonded by our souls for the rest of our lives**

 **And you suggested**

 **A Marilyn Monroe poster**

 **Though that does give me an idea**

 **Dean?**

 **Did you go back to sleep?**

 **Alright, good talk**

…

"...really long, but I'm pretty sure I can memorize it," Sam hears Gabriel say, and he pauses and backtracks to the door standing slightly ajar from which his voice had come. He peers inside and finds Castiel and Gabriel flopped out on the floor of, of all places, a storage room. He has to crane his neck in order to see them behind stacks of cardboard boxes, and they seem to have been there for a while judging from how relaxed they both look. Gabriel's got a small fish-shaped pillow in his hands and is fiddling with the tail absentmindedly, the repetitive motions oddly calming as Sam watches.

"What are you doing?" he asks. Gabriel's head rolls towards him and he smiles dopily, reminding Sam a lot of how he looked when he was in the hospital and got regular doses of morphine.

"Sammy!" he says. "The vows for the Blood Rites are really long."

"They're really not, but okay," Sam says cautiously. "Are you… gonna need a cheat sheet?"

"Please," Gabriel scoffs. "I've memorized entire scripts in shorter amounts of time. You weren't here in freshman year, but we had to do a speech in history and I wrote, memorized, and gave my speech in the same thirteen hour span."

"It's true," Cas pipes up, not opening his eyes or moving at all except to tap his fingers against the ground. "I was in that class. He got an A. The teacher started to tear up and there was a standing ovation."

"Anyway, it won't take me long to learn the vows," Gabriel concludes.

"Gabe, the ceremony's in a week," Sam says.

"Yup," Gabriel agrees cheerfully. Sam nods once.

"Okay," he says simply. "Why are you guys in a supply closet?"

"I was looking for Dean and his heterosexuality and Ash suggested I look in the closet," Gabriel says. "I haven't found him yet, but I know he's pretty far back in there so I still have hope."

There's a muffled "Fuck you, Gabe!" in the background and Sam sighs.

"This is the person I'm marrying," he says. Castiel opens his eyes and gives him a pitying look.

"Glad it's not me," he says, and Gabriel slaps him with the fish.

…

"How scandalized do you think everyone would be if I showed up to the ceremony wearing a miniskirt and pumps?"

"Gabriel, no."

…

"Okay, the pumps weren't the best idea, but what about a speedo and a bow tie? Like, _just_ a speedo and a bow tie?"

" _Gabriel, no."_

…

 _I think I'm going to throw up,_ Gabriel says, and Sam stops fiddling with his tie in order to flash his reflection a bemused smile.

 _Why?_ he asks. _It's just marriage that will tie souls together irreversibly. No big deal, right?_

 _Ha, ha,_ Gabriel says dryly. He goes quiet and Sam goes back to adjusting his clothing, knowing that his mate will talk when he's ready. For a few moments, neither of them say anything. Sam, finally satisfied with his appearance, goes to his desk and flops heavily into the chair, then remembers what he's wearing and begrudgingly sits up. His mother would kill him if he showed up to his own wedding with creases in his pants.

 _Okay, I'm definitely 'm gonna throw up,_ Gabriel says again. _I've never been this nervous in my life._

 _What are you nervous about?_ Sam asks.

 _I don't know, everything? What if I fuck up the vows or trip into a candle and it falls and sets the whole house on fire?_ Gabriel sounds horrified, but Sam can barely contain his laughter.

 _Gabriel, calm down,_ he says. _You're so dramatic. You'll be fine, trust me; nothing will go wrong._

 _You can't know that,_ Gabriel protests. Sam can practically hear the pout in his voice.

 _Yes, I can. I know everything._

 _You don't know what I'm wearing,_ Gabriel says slyly, and Sam smirks.

 _No, but I will soon, won't I?_

 _Yes, if I don't crash into someone holding a drink and completely ruin my look._

Sam actually does laugh this time.

 _Hmph,_ Gabriel says. _So rude. I'm baring my soul here, Sam._

 _Your soul is an overdramatic, anxiety-ridden, teenage angst-filled thespian. Forgive me if I'm unmoved._

Gabriel is quiet for a moment. Then, _Teenage angst?_

 _Yeah, remember when I thought werewolves couldn't be gay and I said no when you asked me out and you were so upset that you actually almost died? That was quite a bit of angst._

Gabriel laughs, the sound just relieved enough to be noticeable. Sam grins dopily at nothing, alone in his room and not caring that he probably looks like a fool.

 _I'm in love with such an idiot,_ Gabriel says fondly.

 _I love you, too, but I resent that idiot comment,_ Sam replies. _I happen to have it on good authority that I'm pretty smart._

 _Oh, yeah?_ Gabriel teases. His sultry tone is a far cry from the nervous one he was using earlier, and Sam feels his mouth go dry as his mind fills with images of hooded golden eyes and a mischievous mouth. _Prove it, loverboy. Blow my mind._

Sam swallows hard and shifts in his chair, suddenly feeling too restricted in his clothing. Gabriel chuckles at him.

 _Thanks for calming me down, Sammy,_ he says.

 _Anytime, Gabe,_ Sam replies a little breathlessly. He jolts out of his thoughts when someone knocks at his door. It opens before he says anything and he starts to bristle in irritation, but he relaxes when Dean pokes his head in. He gives Sam a quick once over, eyes narrowed in consideration.

"Acceptable," he says after a moment. "Could be better, though."

Sam rolls his eyes. "Is there something you needed, Dean, or did you just come here to criticize what I'm wearing?"

"Ooh, pissy." Dean grins and opens the door wider. "Nah, I was sent up here to get you. It's go time. You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sam replies, exhaling harshly. He pulls himself out of his chair and straightens his shoulders.

"That's the spirit," Dean says, grinning widely. His eyes are glowing green with his excitement and the overall effect is very devious. "Let's go get you hitched."

…

Dean disappears as soon as they reach the ground floor, darting off towards the kitchen and leaving behind a very bemused Sam. With no other clue as to where to go, Sam follows at a slower pace, keeping his ears pricked for any noise. The whole house is dark and silent, and the effect is enough to make him just a little wary.

He moves through the living room and then the kitchen, where he finds the back door slightly ajar. The blinds on all the windows have been drawn so he can't see what's waiting for him outside, but he can smell faint traces of his packmates from the yard and assumes that they're waiting for him outside.

He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair nervously, then straightens up and walks purposefully towards the door. It's late, late enough that the sky is completely black except for the occasional star and the light of the full moon. Sam stares up at as he walks down the porch stairs; he hadn't even known it was going to be a full moon tonight, but he knows Gabriel will appreciate the irony.

He steps onto a path, hemmed in by two rows of soft white candles. They lead him in a straight line to a circle of candles in the middle of the yard that's only a few feet in diameter. The circle is surrounded by his packmates, all of them hidden in strangely flickering shadows. The only one clearly visible is John, standing barefoot in the center of the circle.

Sam walks slowly, keeping his eyes on his father. John looks serious, his eyes glowing amber in the low light, but there's a softness to his mouth and his eyes that betrays his happiness. He doesn't move as Sam approaches, and he doesn't speak; neither do any of the others. They remain silent, witnesses to the ceremony but not participants. As he reaches the edge of the circle, Dean catches his eye, standing in between Ash and Castiel. He offers Sam a smirk and then looks meaningfully to something in front of Sam.

He frowns a little and looks forward again, his gaze quickly caught by movement behind John. He steps to the side a little to see better and feels his eyes widen. There's another path of candles directly across from Sam's, leading to the circle from the woods that almost completely surround the house. Gabriel is walking up the path towards the circle; the two lock eyes and Sam feels his breath catch.

Gabriel looks absolutely _ethereal_. He's dressed in dark jeans and a wine red button down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The collar is low enough that his markings are visible, dark against his skin and crawling up the side of his neck like a vine to stop just below his jaw. Like John, he's barefoot, and there are twigs and leaves caught in his hair. The moonlight and the candlelight and his glowing gold eyes all combine to make him look like some fantastical creature, and Sam suppresses a shudder. He pauses to toe off his shoes and socks before joining Gabriel and John in the center of the circle.

Gabriel smiles up at him when they're finally standing together, facing each other with John to their side, and Sam smiles back. He can practically see the excitement shining in his gold eyes. He reaches up and carefully plucks a leaf from Gabriel's hair.

 _Hi,_ he says, his voice a little breathless even in their minds.

 _Hi, yourself,_ Gabriel replies. _You look handsome. White's a good colour on you._

 _And green's a good colour on you,_ Sam replies, holding up the leaf, and Gabriel snickers.

 _That's not my fault. They ganged up on me and took me out into the woods to work off some energy or something. I was in my wolf form for hours,_ he bemoans dramatically. _I couldn't even shower afterwards; I phased, like, a few minutes ago._

 _You smell like the forest._ Gabriel raises an eyebrow, and Sam is quick to say, _It's not a bad smell, promise. I actually like it._

 _Sap,_ Gabriel accuses.

John clears his throat pointedly and Sam realizes that he and Gabriel have just been staring at each other for a while, just long enough to be awkward.

"Are you two ready?" John asks quietly, so only they can hear. Sam and Gabriel exchange tiny, exhilarated smiles.

"Let's do this thing," Gabriel whispers fiercely.

"What he said," Sam says, and his father's lips twitch in amusement.

"Sam, Gabriel," John says, raising his voice so the whole pack can hear. "You are here today to complete the mate bond. Although the Great Luna has destined you for one another, and though you are fated to love one another, have you chosen of your own free will to be here, to offer balance to the savage wolf inside one another, and to love and support one another through whatever hardships and triumphs come your way?"

"We do," Sam and Gabriel say in unison.

"Then it is time for the vows."

Sam releases a breath and digs his toes into the damp grass. The air is filled with the chirping of crickets and the scent of hot wax, and he's surrounded by people but all he can focus on is the way Gabriel's eyes harden in determination. This is the part that Sam's been dreading ever since they made the decision to go through with the Rites, but it's also the most important part of the ceremony. He can tell, based on the steely resignation and eagerness in Gabe's thoughts, that his mate feels the same way.

Mary melts out of the small crowd and stops at the edge of the circle, holding a long, thin box in her hands. As John lifts the hinged lid and removes an intricately designed dagger, she offers Sam and Gabriel a smile and a quick wink. It actually goes a long way towards easing Sam's nerves, brought into existence by the sight of the long knife in his father's hands.

The dagger's hilt is made of some type of dark metal, elegant yet simple in design. The blade itself, on the other hand, is carved with dozens of tiny runes and symbols that look like they would've taken days to do by hand. John lets the dagger rest lightly on his palms and offers it to Gabriel.

 _You okay?_ Sam asks, noting the slightly queasy expression on Gabriel's face.

 _Peachy,_ Gabriel replies sarcastically. Then, in a more sincere tone, he says, _I'm fine, Sammy. I just don't really like pain._

 _Who does?_ Sam asks wryly, and Gabriel shoots him a little smirk, looking up through his eyelashes. Sam feels his cheeks start to heat up.

 _You'd be surprised,_ Gabriel says, right before he presses the blade to his right hand and slices a long gash across the palm. He hisses and reflexively clenches his hand into a half-formed fist, then opens it and quickly holds the knife out. Sam takes a deep breath as his hands close over the hilt, and he cuts open his own palm before he can think about it. The knife gleams darkly in the low light and the scent of blood starts to saturate the air. Sam can feel a collective sense of excitement rising from his pack at the sight and the smell; that same excitement invades his own senses, making his heart beat faster in anticipation and dulling the stinging pain in his palm.

At John's nod, Gabriel and Sam clasp their right hands, pressing the wounds together and hissing at the almost-burn. Underneath the pain, Sam feels something undeniably _right_ about it all. His wolf, which had been interested in the proceedings but didn't make an appearance, chooses now to make itself known through glowing eyes and elongated fangs. Something inside of him clicks into place and Sam feels complete, realizing in the same breath that he was incomplete before.

"I, Gabriel of the Winchester pack, hereby swear to love and protect you for the rest of our lives and whatever comes beyond," Gabriel says. His voice is serious in a way it so rarely is, but his eyes are literally glowing with warmth and love. "I will make you whole as you will make me whole; I will give myself to you as you will give yourself to me; I will bind my life to yours, my fate to yours, and my soul to yours, and take you as my true mate and as my Alpha."

Sam can't breathe as he listens, too overwhelmed to do much except hold Gabriel's gaze and let the words pour over him. He repeats the same vow, letting soft smile steal over his face, and watches in fascination as Gabriel tears up, biting his lip so hard it's gone practically white in an attempt not to cry.

"Sam," John says, drawing their attention away from each other. "What gift do you offer your mate to show him that you're both willing and able to take care of all of his needs?"

Sam releases Gabriel's hand and pulls away, wincing as the tender skin catches and sends a shock of pain up his arm. It's already started to heal and in the corner of his eyes he can see Gabriel gazing at his palm in wonderment, not yet used to his accelerated healing rate.

"I don't actually have it on me," Sam says. "It's kind of big." Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Dean coming silently out of the house, Gabriel's gift held carefully in both arms, and he's glad his brother remembered to get it. He's not allowed inside of the candles, so he passes it to Sam over the tiny flames with a small smirk before retreating to his place next to Cas.

Gabriel's eyes are wide when Sam turns around, a black acoustic guitar held lightly in his hands. Sam knows nothing about guitars but even he'd been able to tell, back when he first saw it on display in a small music shop, that it's excellently made. The wood is smooth and cool under his hands, except for the small area right below the sound hole where he'd paid extra for an engraving. Carved carefully into the wood and then gone over in bright white paint are the words 'Like the moon in the night sky, you light up my life'. The thing had cost almost all of his savings, but he knows he'd have spent it all if it meant he got to see the awed look on Gabriel's face.

"You mentioned once that you liked to play guitar," Sam says sheepishly. "And I've never seen you play, so I figured you didn't have one." Gabriel's hands are almost reverent as he takes the guitar from Sam and runs a fingertip over the surface lightly. He gives a watery little laugh when he finds the engraving and then looks up at Sam with eyes that shine in the light.

"This is perfect," he says, an undercurrent of something in his tone that leaves Sam just a little breathless. "Thank you."

The people outside of the circle all give a collective sigh at the no doubt touching scene. Sam can't help but smile a little; he feels a little bit like a particularly adorable puppy on display at the pound, and the irony is most certainly not lost on him. They allow Gabriel a moment to collect himself, and then John says, "Gabriel, what gift do you offer your mate to show him that you're both willing and able to take care of all of his needs?"

Gabriel bites his lip, looking nervous all of a sudden.

 _Did you forget that you have to provide a gift, too?_ Sam asks wryly.

 _No, I remembered,_ Gabriel assures him. _I'm just… not sure whether what I have in mind is okay. I would've asked, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise._

 _As long as you offer something and I accept it, it'll be fine,_ Sam says, and Gabriel breathes out a subtle sigh of relief. Sam is amused. _You dork,_ he says.

 _You know it,_ Gabriel replies cheekily.

"My gift is a song," he says out loud, and Sam finally gets why he was nervous. And then the full implications of what Gabriel said hit him and his eyes widen. Gabriel wrote him a song?

His mate takes a moment to tune the guitar, and when he's done he strikes a chord and smiles at Sam. He pauses for dramatic effect, and Sam tries to suppress a smile.

Gabriel flicks his fingers against the strings of the guitar and music pours out, soft and touching and just a little sad. It's a simple melody and as he listens to it, Sam's filled with the nostalgia that Gabriel feels as he remembers the time the song describes. And then he smiles and starts singing, locking eyes with Sam. It's just the two of them and the crickets and the moon, held together by Gabriel's husky voice as he serenades his mate with smiling lips and shining eyes.

 _You met me in the dark and lifted me up_

 _You made me feel as though I was enough_

 _We stayed up way too late and talked the night away_

 _With you I knew that everything would be okay_

 _Then you smiled over your shoulder_

 _For a minute I forgot I was sober_

 _I felt like I could touch the clouds_

 _You asked if you could stay over_

 _I said I already told you_

 _You're always welcome here, my love._

 _I knew I loved you then but you'd never know_

' _Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go_

 _I knew I needed you, but I never showed_

 _I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old_

 _Just say you won't let go_

 _Just say you won't let go_

 _I'll wake you up with some breakfast in bed_

 _I'll bring you coffee with a kiss on your head_

 _We'll stay in bed all day and watch time fly by_

 _And I'll thank my lucky stars for that night_

 _When you looked over your shoulder_

 _For a minute I forget that I'm older_

 _I wanna dance with you right now_

 _Whoa, and you look as beautiful as ever_

 _And I swear that every day you'll get better_

 _You make me feel this way somehow_

 _I'm so in love with you and I hope you know_

 _That, darling, your love is more than worth its weight in gold_

 _We've come so far, my dear; look how we've grown_

 _And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old_

 _Just say you won't let go_

 _Just say you won't let go_

 _I promise to cherish you even when we're ghosts_

' _Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most_

 _I'm gonna love you till my lungs give out_

 _I promise til death we part, like in our vows_

 _So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows_

 _That it's just you and me until we're grey and old_

 _Just say you won't let go_

 _Just say you won't let go_

 _Just say you won't let go_

 _Oh, just say you won't let go_

As the last few notes gently fade away, there's a charged quiet. Even the crickets seem to have stopped their chirping. All the world lies still in anticipation, but all Sam can do is keep his gaze locked with Gabriel's and try to remember how to breathe. Then, because he has no idea how to put what he feels into words, he leans forward and down the slightest bit and presses his lips to Gabriel's.

The pack erupts into joyous cheers and Gabriel laughs against his mouth, standing on his tiptoes so he can wrap his arm around Sam's neck. He pulls back and presses one, two, three quick pecks to whatever part of Sam's face he can reach, then leans back so they can look at each other. Sam finds them doing that a lot lately, just looking. He's the farthest thing from bothered by it.

"You're only a few months older than me, you dork," he says. He's grinning so widely it hurts; he's not sure his dimples will ever recover. But Gabriel's looking at him like he hung the moon in the sky, and with that kind of attention on him it's hard to keep the smile off his face. So he doesn't try to.

"It may be only a few months, but I was still born first," Gabriel sing songs. He rests the guitar on his foot to keep it out of the wet grass and leans his head into Sam's chest. Together, they watch as the pack, still talking excitedly like _they're_ the ones who were just Bonded, begin blowing out the candles. As soon as there's a dark spot along the edge of the circle, Chuck is there, throwing one arm around Gabriel's neck and the other around Sam's.

"Goddamnit, you guys," he says, his voice muffled but undeniably thick with tears.

"Dad, are you crying?" Gabriel asks, grinning widely.

"Shut up," Chuck says, swiping a hand across his eyes. "You just got werewolf married. I'm allowed to be emotional."

Gabriel laughs again and takes Sam's hand, twining their fingers together and giving a small squeeze. He doesn't let go even when Dean and Castiel come over, or when Mary shoves her way through the crowd so that she can fling herself into Sam's arms and sob into his neck. Ash, Jo, and Charlie all grin and wink at him when he looks over at them, but he can't hear what they say to him over the noise that everyone else is making. He feels a little overwhelmed, but it's a good kind of overwhelmed, and Gabriel's hand in his keeps him grounded.

 _We still have to complete the Blood Rites,_ Gabriel reminds him. _And as much as I love all these nerds, I'd rather they not be here to watch as we embrace our inner vampires._

 _Inner werewolves, Gabe, not vampires,_ Sam says. _And they'll probably head inside once we do._

 _What are we waiting for, then?_ Gabriel grins and tugs at Sam's hand until he starts walking.

"Where are you two going?" Dean calls.

"To Sam's bedroom, so we can get a little frisky, if you know what I mean," Gabriel replies, turning to walk backwards for a few steps so he can wink. Dean gags and Sam laughs at his disgusted face.

"See you in the morning, Dean," he says salaciously, waving a hand over his shoulder. He and Gabriel step into the kitchen and close the door behind them, instantly muffling the noise from outside. Now that it's just them, Sam finds himself growing a little nervous; his stomach is practically tying itself up in knots from anticipation.

Still, with better night vision and no lights on in the house, he takes the lead as they walk towards his bedroom. The air seems to grow heavy with tension as they get closer, and Sam is reluctant to break that silence that's descended over them. He can see the green light from his eyes illuminating the space just in front of his face, and a glance behind him reveals the same light, only in a golden shade, highlighting his mate's face.

They reach the door to Sam's bedroom and he pauses before opening it. His wolf is impatient; drawn to attention by the impending ritual, it wants to complete the Rites as soon as possible. Sam reminds it that Gabriel's not fully a wolf. He doesn't want to scare him, so he takes a second to press a soft, slow kiss to Gabriel's mouth.

"Are you ready?" Sam murmurs. This close to Gabriel, he can see each individual brown fleck in his irises, each eyelash that brushes against his cheeks. He can't resist the urge to press another kiss to the tip of his mate's nose.

"I was born ready," Gabriel says playfully. He stills Sam's face with two hands cupping his cheeks, then reaches past him to open the door. Together, they step over the threshold.

…

It's well after midnight by the time the party begins to draw to a close. Castiel is exhausted, but in a good way. His feet ache from the hours he spent dancing with the other teenage idiots in the pack, his stomach is full of a variety of delicious finger foods, and his eyes sting in a way that promises a deep sleep tonight. All in all, he feels like shit but he's glad of it.

John and Mary sure know how to throw a party. From what he understands, it's extremely difficult for a wolf to find their true mate; it can sometimes take centuries, so it's no wonder they'd been so ecstatic about Sam and Gabriel's Bonding.

"Hey." Castiel looks up and smiles at Dean in greeting, too tired to get up out of his chair. Dean pulls out the chair next to him and sits with a sigh, a glass of water in one hand and a beer in the other. Castiel takes the water from him gratefully and chugs half of it before speaking.

"Your parents throw parties like college kids," he says, and Dean huffs a surprised laugh.

"You say the weirdest things," he says fondly. "But you're right, they may have gone a little overboard."

"A little?" Castiel raises an eyebrow. "Dean, if there were neighbors, they would've called the cops. I'm surprised Gabriel and Sam didn't come down to yell at us about how loud we were being."

"Well, Gabriel and Sam were probably a bit busy," Dean says meaningfully. He sips at his beer, then looks at Castiel out of the corner of his eye and says, "You did have fun, though, right?"

"The most fun I've had in a while," Castiel assures him, and smiles when Dean visibly relaxes. He's such a dork.

"It's not often they have an excuse to go this crazy," Dean says. "It kind of makes me wonder if they'll do the same if I find my mate."

"I'm sure they will," Castiel says, ignoring the sour feeling in his gut at the thought. Raphael catches his eye from across the room and quirks an eyebrow inquisitively. Castiel shakes his head almost imperceptibly, and the doctor only nods and goes back to his wine. No sympathy, not that Castiel was expecting any. It makes him feel a bit better, though, than pity would have.

Dean takes another sip of his beer and Castiel frowns. Before the wolf can react, he snatches the bottle out of his hand and replaces it with the half full glass of water.

"Hey!" Dean protests, already raising the glass to sip from it.

"Shut up, you're too young to drink," Castiel says. He waits until Dean's not looking before taking a quick gulp. It tastes like shit but the slight burn as it goes down his throat is… not bad.

"I wonder how Gabriel and Sam are doing," Dean murmurs.

"I'm sure they're fine," Castiel says. "It's not as if they're unfamiliar with the logistics of drinking blood, right?"

"Right," Dean murmurs. He looks at the clock, then grins at whatever he sees. Quick as a flash, he leans over and presses a kiss to Castiel's cheek. Castiel stiffens in surprise and looks over at him with wide eyes, which makes Dean laugh.

"What was that for?" Castiel asks.

"It's 3:33," Dean explains. "The witching hour."

"So why'd you kiss me?"

"For good luck. Now no witch will ever bother you." Dean grins, proud of himself, and Castiel scoffs even as his cheeks heat slightly.

"Are you drunk?" he accuses, but Dean just gulps down the rest of his water and gets up.

"Good night, Cas," he says as he walks away, leaving Castiel sitting in his chair with one hand around a beer, one hand on his cheek, and his mind in turmoil.

 _Things that are meant to happen, will. Things that aren't meant to happen, won't. There's no use worrying about it._ Isn't that what Raphael said, way back in the hospital as he'd revealed the results of his and Gabriel's blood tests? Something like that, anyway. It's good advice, but Castiel doesn't know if he'll be able to follow it.

His eyes scan the room and find Dean easily. He looks away before anyone can catch him staring and lifts the beer to his lips again. "I am so fucked," he whispers, the corners of his mouth lifting in a tiny smile. He really, really is, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

* * *

Alright, that's it for this installment! I hope you guys had as much fun reading as I did writing. I have to admit, this chapter isn't my favourite. I kinda like how it came out, because of the little bits of Destiel I threw in there as well as all the foreshadowing (*wink wink*) but aside from that I feel a little bleh.

Anyway, now Gabriel and Sam are officially Bonded, so hopefully now people will stop kidnapping Gabriel, amirite? The third part is in the works but I have a bunch of other projects I'm going to focus on so don't expect anything more from this 'verse for a long while. As far as Blood Wedding goes, though, what did you think? Comments make my life and I genuinely appreciate every one I get.


End file.
